The Pontiff blessed the gifted supercar
worth £180,000 and signed the bonnet before handing it over to be auctioned for
charity.
The Pontiff has been given an upgrade on
his Popemobile - a personalised white and gold Lamborghini Huracan worth around
£180,000. Pope Francis received the supercar as a
gift from Lamborghini, but rather than getting behind the wheel he immediately
blessed the vehicle and signed its bonnet in Saint Peter's Square, Vatican
City.
He then handed the car over to Sotheby's
auctioneers who will sell it and donate the proceeds to charities helping
victims of human trafficking, vulnerable women and children on the African
continent, and Christians suffering persecution in Iraq. A genuine Apostolic Blessing will likely
increase its auction value, although it is unknown by how much.
The gold-rimmed supercar was handed over
to Sotheby's auctioneers
The 610 horsepower Huracan, which was
painted white with gold stripes in keeping with Catholic Church traditions, has
a top speed of 201mph and can go from 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds. But its speed was not enough to convince
the Pontiff to abandon his Popemobile, a custom-designed car equipped with a
360-degree viewing box and a throne embroidered with the Pontiff's coat of
arms.
It isn't the first time the Pope has
been gifted a luxury vehicle. The Pontiff received a Harley Davidson motorbike
and jacket in 2014, but auctioned both for charity. Historically, the Pope travelled in a
red silk-covered "sedia gestatoria", carried on shoulders, but the
transportable throne was abandoned in favour of the Popemobile in the 20th
century.
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