Pope Francis gets a Lamborghini as gift, auctions it to help Iraq christians displaced by conflicts, victims of human trafficking and medical aid to Africa

The special edition Huracan is a sleek, white car with yellow-gold detailing. It was presented to Pope Francis on Wednesday in front of the Vatican hotel where he lives. It is said to retail at about EUR180,000.00.

The Pope blessed the car, etched his signature on its tank and promptly handed it over to Sotheby to auction it off. The Vatican says the proceeds will go to three of the Pope’s favourite charities.

They include a fund to rebuild homes and churches for Christians chased out of Iraq by Islamic State terrorists. The rebuilding efforts will be focused on the Nineveh Plains, north-east of Mosul, where Christians were forced to flee years of fighting.

The aim is to allow Christians who were forced to leave the region “to finally return to their roots and recover their dignity,” the Holy See said.

Of the two other charities that will benefit from the sale, one helps migrant women who are trafficked and forced into prostitution and another provides medical aid in Africa.

This is not the first time that the Pope has given up luxury items for auction to help the needy. Last year the Pope ordered cars he used during a visit to Poland to be auctioned off to help Syrian refugees.

Moreover, the fact that he blessed the car will significantly increase its value. In 2013 when he was given a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, it sold a year later at auction in Paris for $327,000, despite retailing for around $13,000.

Etching his signature on the car has also increased its market value. A leather Harley-Davidson motorcycle jacket, also signed by Pope Francis, sold for $77,000. Its proceeds were given to a hostel and soup kitchen for the homeless at Rome’s main train station. Harley-Davidson gave the motorbike to the Pope as a gift to mark its 110th anniversary.

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