A custom Harley-Davidson presented to Pope Francis by the company on its 110th anniversary is to auction at Bonhams on February 6 in Paris.
The lot will lead the Les Marques du Mond au Grand Palais auction with an estimate of $16,314-20,392.
 The motorbike was presented to Pope Francis by Harley Davidson on the 110th anniversary of its founding |
The 1,585CC FXDC Dyna Super Glide Custom, which features a Pope Francis-signed fuel tank, is one of two given to the pontiff in June 2013 when around 800 bikers gathered in St Peter's Square in Rome.
The Pope blessed the bikers, but warned them that their pursuit of hedonism risked replacing god with "fleeting human idols which offer the intoxication of a flash of freedom, but in the end bring new forms of slavery and death."
The bike is being sold in aid of Caritas, a confederation of Catholic relief funds operating worldwide, with the proceeds earmarked for a soup kitchen in a Rome.
Enrico Feroci, director of the Roman branch of the charity, commented: "It is a precious gift that has once again made us happy in feeling the closeness of our bishop to the poor of the Church of Rome. We are deeply grateful to Pope Francis for this."
A leather jacket presented along with the motorbike and signed by Pope Francis is selling as a separate lot with an estimate of $1,359-2,039.
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