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Holy Roller: Pope's Harley Auctioned Off for Charity

<p>Pope Francis' Harley is hitting the road after a buyer agreed to pay $327,000 for it at a Paris auction for charity.</p>
/ Source: Associated Press

PARIS - Pope Francis' Harley-Davidson is hitting the road after an unspecified European buyer agreed to pay 241,500 euros ($327,000) including taxes and fees for the motorcycle at a Paris auction to benefit charity.

The Bonhams auction house said the telephone buyer agreed to pay far more than the expected pre-sale price of more than 12,000 euros ($16,000) at the auction at Paris' Grand Palais.

A Harley-Davidson leather jacket signed by Pope Francis sold for 57,500 euros including fees.

It's unknown whether the pontiff ever rode the custom 2013 Dyna Super Glide that was a gift from Willie Davidson, a retired Harley-Davidson designer and grandson of the company's co-founder.

Image: Pope Francis stands by a Harley-Davidson that was donated to him.
In this June 12, 2013 photo provided by the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis stands by a Harley-Davidson that was donated to him at the Vatican.L'Osseervatore Romano via AP file

Money from the sale will be donated to charity Caritas Roma, which runs a soup kitchen and hostel for the homeless in Rome.

—The Associated Press