Last week, Kentucky-based Father Jim Sichko decided to bring a present to the Pope. And what else did he bring, but a bottle of bourbon. Father Jim is a lifelong Southerner, who always comes bearing gifts. When he goes to someone’s house, he brings flowers, Esquire writes, and when he goes over to Rome for his annual meeting with the Pope, he brings bourbon.
“I thought, what could I bring the Holy Father this year that would represent Kentucky in a very powerful way?” Father Jim told Esquire. “We’re known for our bourbon, and most people in this area have always said Pappy Van Winkle is the best.”
So Father Jim wrapped up a very rare bottle of 23 year Old Pappy Van Winkle (as well as nine other kinds of Kentucky bourbon for the Papal staff and Swiss guards) and delivered the drinks during a Tuesday meeting of the Papal Missionaries of Mercy.
The Pope was impressed with his gift. According to Father Jim, “He knew it was ‘very good bourbon,’ so he said ‘Bene! Bene!’”
Pope Francis receiving his 23 yr old Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon as we shared our love of My Ole Kentucky Home! pic.twitter.com/mWereczKs9
— Father Jim Sichko (@JimSichko) April 10, 2018
Father Jim, 51, is one of a thousand Papal Missionaries of Mercy priests commissioned by Pope Francis to travel the world carrying a message of forgiveness and grace, reports Esquire. He reaches out to people in his community who feel the world at large and the church has left them behind. Father Jim believes the key to life is “simply giving.”
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