Pope Francis’ Harley-Davidson motorbike sold for over £200,000 in Paris auction

The money raised at the auction will go to a hostel and soup kitchen in Rome

Pope Francis being presented with a Harley Davidson Dyna Super Glide motorcycle in Vatican City, the Vatican, 12 June 2013. (EPA/OSSERVATORE ROMANO )

A Harley Davidson motorbike that used to belong to Pope Francis has been sold in Paris for €241,500 (£200,555).

Since Pope Francis sold his Mercedes-Benz Popemobile in favour of a less extravagant car, it was unlikely he would keep the Harley Davidson for his personal use, and instead gave it to a Catholic charity.

The money raised from the sale of the custom 2013 Dyna Super Glide on Thursday will go help Caritas Roma run its soup kitchen and hostel.

More than 1,000 poor, homeless, and unemployed people a day are provided with food and accommodation at the centre.

Pope Francis signature is seen on the tank of a 2013 Harley Davidson 1 585 cm3 Dyna Super Glide Custom. (Getty Images)

Bonhams Paris' Grand Palais auction house in the French capital said the telephone buyer agreed to pay far more than the expected pre-sale price of more than €12,000 (£9965) at the auction.

A Harley-Davidson leather jacket signed by the pontiff also sold for €57,500 (£47,751).

Willie Davidson, the retired Harley-Davidson designer and grandson of the company’s co-founder, gave the pontiff the 1,585cc motorbike last June to mark the 110th anniversary of the brand.

The sale comes as UN children’s rights experts condemned what it claims is the Catholic Church’s “code of silence” on paedophile priests, allowing abuse to go unchecked for decades.

The Harley Davidson, donated to Pope Francis last year and signed by him on its tank, is displayed ahead of Bonham's auction. (Antoine Antoniol/Getty Images)

Additional reporting by AP

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