Pope Francis Sales Off His Collection Of Power Motorcycles For Charity: Pope's Hell's Angels Days Over As He Flogs Off His Holy Harley-Davidson And Biker Jacket!

PETROLHEAD Pope Francis has parted with his holy Harley-Davidson and divine leather biker jacket to raise almost £250,000 for charity.

The would-be Hell's Angel and head of the Roman Catholic Church has had little time to saddle up his hog and burn rubber since taking up papal duties. So the 1,585cc Dyna Super Glide motorcycle, signed "Francesco" by the Pope, went under the hammer at Bonham's Grand Palais auction. Although it had an estimate of just £10,000, potential buyers went wild for the Harley and the winning bidder paid a staggering £175,000. With premiums, the final price came up at a whopping £200,976.

GIFT: The Pope being presented with the Harley last year [EPA]

HOLY HARLEY: The Pope signed the bike 'Francesco' [EPA]

The Pope's leathers also attracted a huge amount of attention and sold for an impressive £47,851. The sales raised funds for Caritas Roma, a charity which runs a soup kitchen and hostel for the homeless in Rome. Ben Walker, head of motorcycles at Bonhams, said: "I am thrilled with the result achieved and am very pleased for the charity. "It has to be a world record for a 21st-century Harley-Davidson and certainly for a Harley-Davidson leather jacket." The custom-made motorcycle was a gift from Willie Davidson, a retired Harley-Davidson designer and grandson of the company's co-founder. This is not the first time that the popular pontiff has found favour with bikers. Last summer, he blessed a crowd of Hell's Angels in a congregation at an open air mass in St Peter's Square.

Daily Star.