Pope Francis will auction his Harley-Davidson motorcycle to raise money for the Roman Catholic charity Caritas Roma, the Telegraph reported. 
The Harley-Davidson 1,585cc Dyna Super Glide was a gift to the Pope from the bike manufacturer as part of the brand’s 110th anniversary in June 2013. The Pope has signed the bike and it is expected to reach at least £12,000 when auctioned on 6 February. The Harley will be sold by Bonhams, auctioneer of fine art and antiques, at the Grand Palais in Paris as part of the annual Retromobile classic car show.
Even though the bike was given to him as a gift, it was never expected that the 77 year-old Pope of the Catholic Church would actually ride it, especially after he sold the Mercedes-Benz Popemobile in favour of a more modest vehicle.
The Caritas Rvoma charity is planning to use the money to renovate its Don Luigi di Liegro hostel and the soup kitchen at the Termini railway station in Rome. The hostel provides food and shelter to over 1,000 homeless, unemployed and poor people every day. The charity organisation works on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church to support people around the world who are in need of aid.
Ben Walker, head of motorcycles at Bonhams, said that his company is honoured to sell the Pope’s Harley on behalf of the charity, and hopes to be able to make both the Pope and the Harley-Davidson brand proud by raising a significant amount of money for the cause.
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