Dick Vitale, whose talking head graces our Mt. Awful Announcing Rushmore, is in Rome these days and had a chance to meet with the POPE, Pope Benedict XVI. We know this because he gave us the play-by-play via his Twitter account:  

Heading right now to the Pope’s summer home hoping & praying 4 an audience with the HOLY FATHER! […]

So EXCITED just kissed Pope’s ring – in SHOCK!

(Ed. note: The last tweet was supplemented with the following photo, which looks more like SAD DickieV after a Duke loss):

DICKIEV

I am still shaking as I have met many many famous ppl but NOTHING COMPARES when I was called 4 my moment today with POPE BENEDICT XVI! […]

Can’t wait 4 the photos taken by the Pope’s staff- in awe as we made small talk .Asked his Holiness to pray 4 peace in our world & 4 my fam, […]

@richarddeitsch Goosebumps as it was a moment that I will treasure – usually a non stop talker- I was in such awe- he started the chatter […]

Ran into Broncos fan in hotel lobby in Rome & he claims Brady Quinn should starr- I said it is @timtebow time. […]

(Ed. note: A Tim Tebow tweet in the middle of talking about meeting the POPE could not have been a coincidence.)

Did not have the nerve but I wanted to joke around & ask the Pope who was more popular in Germany the Pope or @swish41 -Dirk Nowitzki?

That was a real diaper dandy. I’m curious – how would DickieV rank his meeting with the Pope to one with ScarJo?