Back in November 2017, Pope Francis was gifted a custom-made Lamborghini Huracán.
A group from Lamborghini presented it to him at the Vatican. It was a sleek, high-end sports car, quite different from the humble Fiat he’s typically seen in.
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What he did with the car will make you look at him in a whole new way.
The Lamborghini’s colors had a deeper meaning
This wasn’t just any Lamborghini. It came in bright white with yellow racing stripes — those are the colors of the Vatican flag.
The whole thing was specially made by Lamborghini’s “Ad Personam” team just for the Pope.
The Pope left his mark on the car in a special way
He didn’t just accept the car. He actually signed it, right on the hood.
That little signature ended up bumping up the car’s value by a lot.
Pope Francis had no interest in keeping the car
Instead of holding on to it, Pope Francis decided to sell it and give every bit of the money to charity.
He wasn’t trying to flex. He just wanted to help people in need.
The auction took place during a major racing event
The car went up for auction in Monaco, during the Historic Grand Prix weekend in May 2018.
Pretty fitting for a supercar like that.
The sale price was nothing short of incredible
It ended up going for €715,000 — approximately $950,000 at the time.
Not bad for a one-of-a-kind Lamborghini with the Pope’s autograph.
Part of the money went to rebuilding war-torn Iraq
A big chunk of the money went to a group called Aid to the Church in Need.
They were working on rebuilding homes, churches, and basic infrastructure in Iraq.
The funds also helped women escaping trafficking
Another part went to the Pope John XXIII Community, a group in Italy that helps women who’ve been through human trafficking or forced into prostitution.
Some of the money helped support their safe house, Casa Papa Francesco.
Medical work in developing countries also benefited
Some funds were given to GICAM — a team of Italian doctors who focus on hand surgery and rehab, mostly in countries that don’t have easy access to that kind of care.
A long-standing African aid group was included too
The rest of the money went to Amici per il Centrafrica, or Friends of Central Africa.
They’ve been around a while, helping with health and education programs for women and kids in that region.
The gift became a symbol of the Pope’s values
More than just a car, the papal Lamborghini became a symbol — one that showed how even icons of power can be transformed into tools of mercy.
In Pope Francis’s hands, a sports car became a sermon on generosity, and a lesson in what it truly means to lead.