LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — It sounds like the opening line of a joke: What happens when the pope gets his hands on two bottles of Kentucky bourbon? But it actually occurred and the punch line is heartwarming: the autographed bottles raised tens of thousands of dollars to help poor and sick people, as well as homeless cats and dogs.
The plan was concocted by the Rev. Jim Sichko, a Kentucky-based Roman Catholic priest. He saw an opportunity to turn a signature Kentucky product, and his access to Pope Francis as a papal missionary of mercy, into a way to help those in need by auctioning off bourbon bottles signed by the pope.
“I understand that at times people say, ‘What is this priest doing?’ I get it," Sichko said in a recent interview. "I think outside the box all the time.”
His unconventional idea raised about $30,000 when Sotheby’s auctioned off two bottles signed by the pope, plus another bourbon bottle autographed by former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady.
The proceeds are being divided among organizations selected by Sichko. He presented the first check on Jan. 31 to Paws 4 the Cause, an animal rescue organization in Lexington, Kentucky. Other checks will help hospice care in his native Texas and a legal clinic in Lexington that assists immigrants, he said.
The Catholic Diocese of Lexington, where Sichko is based, will use some of the money to help people in need.
It all began several years ago when Sichko gave Francis a bottle of hard-to-get Pappy Van Winkle bourbon as a gift when the priest visited Rome. After that, Sichko routinely presented a gift, often Kentucky bourbon, when encountering the pope as part of his role as a papal missionary of mercy.
Sichko is one of hundreds of such missionaries appointed by Francis. They are assigned to travel the world spreading kindness, forgiveness, joy and mercy to people they encounter. Sichko, 58, said he travels the world about 300 days a year as a missionary and evangelist.
During a visit to the Vatican last year, Sichko carried with him two bottles of bourbon, but with a different mission. He wanted to spread good to others by having the pope sign the two bottles donated by Willett Distillery in Kentucky. The bottles carried special seals and contained Willett bourbon that had aged for 10 years.
When the time came, he mustered the nerve to seek the papal signatures.
“I just pulled out the bottle of bourbon with a pen,” Sichko recalled. “And he looked at me and he signed it. And I was shocked. And then what I did was I pulled out the other bottle. And he signed that.”
Sichko wasn't ready for what happened next.
“He looked at both bottles and he looked at me and he said, ‘Father, which one of these is mine?’” Sichko recalled. That led to an uncomfortable confession.
“I said, 'Neither one of these are for you. I want to come up with a creative way to auction them off for the good of others,'” Sichko said. “And that's how it came about.”
Sichko's teammate on the project was Drew Kulsveen, the master distiller at Willett Distillery.
“From the first conversation, our door was open knowing this contribution can impact countless people in need through his work,” Kulsveen said in a statement.
Kulsveen and his wife joined Sichko on the journey to Rome. He called it a “tremendous honor” watching the pope sign the bottles of bourbon from his distillery.
Sichko received a warm welcome from workers at the animal shelter when he arrived carrying a $7,375 donation. Anita Spreitzer, vice president and general manager of Paws 4 the Cause, said it would help pay for an expansion of the shelter that was underway.
Part of the donation, however, will be passed along to another animal rescue group, she said. That brought a hearty approval from Sichko, who said, “That's the way it goes — give and receive.”
Sichko said he expects to return to the Vatican in about six months but doesn't know if he will ask the pope to sign more bourbon bottles.
“It loses its flair if you're constantly getting him to autograph things,” the priest said.
Sichko said he hopes his work has a ripple effect, inspiring acts of kindness by others. It can be as small as opening the door for someone or letting someone go ahead of them in the grocery checkout line.
“Everyone can do something,” Sichko said. "It costs nothing to be kind.
“Our world is turning into a very angry world,” he added. “And I think it's time that we just chill out a bit and recognize truly what we're called to be. And that is brothers and sisters. We may all have different skin colors. We may have all different ways of life. But I think we all come from the same place, and that is love and love of God.”
Rev. Jim Sichko holds a cat at the Paws 4 The Cause animal shelter in Lexington, Ky., on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Dylan Lovan)
ISTANBUL (AP) — The head of Turkey's main opposition party visited jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Tuesday after six nights of massive protests calling for his release.
Imamoglu, arrested on March 19 on corruption charges, is seen as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule. His arrest has been widely viewed as politically motivated and sparked demonstrations, some turning violent, across the country. The government insists Turkey’s judiciary is independent and free of political influence.
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Imamoglu's Republican People’s Party, or CHP, arrived at Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, in a convoy of vehicles Tuesday morning.
After a two-hour meeting, Ozel told reporters that he was “ashamed on behalf of those who govern Turkey of the atmosphere I am in and the situation that Turkey is being put through.”
He described Imamoglu and two jailed CHP district mayors he also met as “three lions inside, standing tall, with their heads held high … proud of themselves, their families, their colleagues, not afraid.”
Ozel announced the night before that Tuesday evening would be CHP's final rally outside Istanbul’s City Hall, calling for people to join in. He also said the party would appoint a member to the municipal council to act as mayor in Imamoglu's place, staving off the possibility of a state-appointed replacement.
Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have been cracking down on journalists as protests have grown.
The Media and Law Studies Association, a civil society group, said eight journalists who were detained “for covering protests in Istanbul,” banned by authorities, had been brought to the city’s Caglayan Courthouse. They are accused of “violating the law on meetings and demonstrations," the group said.
The journalists were among 206 people prosecutors have recommended for imprisonment pending trial in relation to the protests, including left-wing activists rounded up at their homes in raids early on Monday.
Media workers’ unions have condemned the arrests as an “attack on press freedoms and the people’s right to learn the truth.”
Meanwhile, the head of the CHP's Istanbul branch, Ozgur Celik, shared a letter he had received from the prosecutor’s office ordering the removal of poster of Imamoglu. He said he would not comply.
“You will see more of Mayor Ekrem on the balconies of houses, in squares, on the streets and on the walls,” Celik posted on X.
Demonstrations in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, as well as smaller cities and towns across Turkey, have been largely peaceful with protesters demanding Imamoglu’s release and an end to democratic backsliding. However, some turned violent, with officers deploying water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray and firing plastic pellets at protesters, some of whom have hurled stones, fireworks and other objects at riot police.
The governors of Ankara and Izmir on Tuesday extended bans on demonstrations to April 1 and March 29 respectively. The ban in Istanbul currently runs to March 27.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said early Tuesday that police had detained 43 “provocateurs” over what he said were “vile insults” hurled at Erdogan and his family at protests. Some 1,133 protesters were detained between Wednesday and Sunday, he said earlier.
Ozel and Imamoglu's social media accounts posted condemnations of insults hurled at Erdogan's mother.
Imamoglu has been jailed on suspicion of running a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data and bid-rigging — accusations he has denied. He also faces prosecution on terror-related charges and has been suspended from duty as a “temporary measure.”
Alongside Imamoglu, 47 other people have been jailed pending trial, including a key aide and two district mayors from Istanbul. A further 44 suspects in the case alleging widespread graft at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality were released under judicial control.
Although Turkey is not due for another election until 2028, there is a reasonable possibility that Erdogan will call for an early vote in order to run for another term.
Imamoglu has been confirmed as the candidate for the CHP and has performed well in recent polls against Erdogan. He was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019, in a major blow to Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul alongside its predecessors for a quarter-century.
University students sit next to anti riot police officers during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Huseyin Aldemir)
Riot police fire tear gas pellets to disperse protesters in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, March 24, 2025, during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
People shout slogans next to anti riot police officers during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
