Pope Francis received an unusual gift Wednesday — a custom Vancouver Canucks jersey, with his name on the back, from newlywed B.C. couple Joseph and Marion San Jose.

The San Joses, who are honeymooning in Rome, got to meet the Pope as part of a tradition for newlyweds during the Wednesday general audience, which they had tickets to attend.

"If you are able to prove that you had been married … in the Catholic Church within two months and show up wearing wedding garb, then we got to sit in a special place and meet with him personally," said Joseph San Jose via Facebook.

The couple said the Pope seemed surprised and enthusiastic when they presented the jersey, No. 15, to him.

Marion San Jose tried to explain to the Pope in Spanish about how it was a hockey jersey. According to them, the Pope said, "Yes! Hockey! Hockey!" before blessing them and moving on to the next couple.

Right-winger Brad Richardson currently has the No. 15 jersey.