Wow. Let me try to save this thread, if I can.

Several years ago, the Pope (I don't remember which one) went on a tour of the United States. It was the first time a Pope had been to the US in a long time - maybe ever, I don't recall exactly - and so excitement was high for his visit. He made stops all along the Eastern seaboard, moving from the Northeast down the coast, saying Mass and blessing the faithful everywhere he went. Then he headed west to hit sites more inland. This leg of his journey took him across southern Alabama.

Now, if you've ever spent much time in southern Alabama - especially if you happened to be traveling east-west instead of north-south - you know there aren't really any major roads to get you where you're going. So the Pope's route took him along some dim little county roads deep in the middle of nowhere. It was on one of these county roads, as the Pope was doing whatever he does in the Popemobile while traveling from place to place, that he happened look out the window while going along through the middle of a swamp, and what should he see but a man out in the water being attacked by an alligator.

"Stop! Stop!" cried the Pope (although in Italian, of course), and the driver came to a screeching halt. The Pope and his entourage leapt from the Popemobile, intent on doing whatever they could to help the poor man, when all of the sudden they saw a boat with two men in it come out from behind a stand of trees out in the swamp. The boat headed straight for the man in the water, and once they were alongside one of the men in the boat took a shotgun and shot the alligator in the head. Then the two men grabbed both the man in the water and the dead alligator and hauled them both into the boat.

Well of course the Pope was overjoyed to see that the man in the water had been rescued, and he and his entourage shouted and gesticulated until the men in the boat noticed them and headed on over to the shore near where the Pope was standing. As they approached, the Pope was surprised to see that the man who had been attacked by the alligator was wearing a ripped and torn Auburn shirt, while the two men in the boat who had rescued him were both wearing Alabama hats. The Pope began to speak excitedly, and his interpreter translated for the men in the boat as they pulled up onto the shore.

"His-a Holiness-a tha Pope-a wishes you to know-a that even in-a the Vatican he has-a heard of the hate that-a exists between Alabama and Auburn-a fans-a. So he is-a overjoyed to see that you-a two-a have set aside this-a hate and reached out to help-a a fellow soul in need-a. Blessings to-a you! Blessings from-a the Pope-a!" The Pope made the sign of the Cross over the men, and then he and all his entourage jumped back into the Popemobile and drove off down the road.

The two men in the boat sat there in silence and watched until the Popemobile was out of sight. Then one of them turned to the other with a slightly confused look on his face.

"Now what in the hell do you suppose that was all about?" he said.

"I don't have any idea," said his companion, "but come on. Let's get this bait back in the water."