LEXINGTON, Ky. — With a University of Kentucky basketball jersey signed by head coach Mark Pope or his routine of gifting Kentucky’s rarest of bourbons, often left right at his front door, Fr. Jim Sichko said he visited Pope Francis in Vatican City almost three months before he fell critically ill.

But in almost 10 years, the Diocese of Lexington priest got to know who Francis was beyond the public eye.

"An individual that had a great sense of humor," Sichko said. "An individual who spoke the truth at any moment."

Like many people across the world, Sichko is mourning Francis' death at 88 years old.

He said Francis led the Catholic Church for 12 years with the people in his mind and heart. He added he would admit he wasn’t perfect but wanted people to know there was a path toward faith

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