Cars Used By Pope Francis In Poland Being Sold To Benefit Syrian Refugees
Ever wanted to own a car that the leader of the Roman Catholic Church once used? Well, you might get this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity if you join an online bidding, and all for a good cause.
According to a report from The Daily Mail, the chapter of the Catholic charity organisation Caritas decided to auction off three vehicles used by Pope Francis during the World Youth Day festival held in Poland last July.
The online bidding for the pontiff's vehicle is ongoing and will last until Oct. 9.
Agnieszka Homan, a member of Caritas Poland, said the proceeds of the car auction will be used to provide medical aid to Syrian refugees, as requested by the Pope himself.
The effort to help Syrian refugees is being done even as Poland's right-wing government is strongly against accepting migrants from the Middle East, citing security concerns.
"In accordance with the wishes of Pope Francis, the profits will go towards the purchase of a mobile clinic for treating Syrian refugees in Lebanon," Homan said, as quoted by The Daily Mail.
The cars that are being auctioned off are navy blue VW Golf models, with licence plates "KI POPE", "K2 POPE" and "K3 POPE."
As a bonus, the vehicles also come with certificates detailing the route Pope Francis took in Poland using those cars. The pontiff rode these cars to go around the capital city of Krakow, and to visit the former Nazi German death camp in Auschwitz.
The most popular of these papal cars is the one borrowed by the Pope to travel from the southern city of Krakow to the nearby Jasna Gora monastery. At present, this vehicle already has a bid of 40,100 zloty (9,300 euros, $10,500).
It can be remembered that during his visit to Poland last July, Pope Francis travelled to the monastery located in the city of Czestochowa, which serves as home to the Black Madonna, an ancient Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary that is believed to work miracles.
Prior to this, Caritas Poland also auctioned off gifts received by Pope Francis during the World Youth Day event, including expensive shoes.
