Pope Francis' Philly Fiat going up for bid

Pope Francis’ Philly Fiat going up for bid

Posted by ChaddsFordLive on January 21, 2016

Want to make up for the fact that you missed seeing Pope Francis? The FIAT 500L he used during his historic visit to Philadelphia in September is going up for bid.

Pope Francis is shown exiting a Fiat, his transportation during his September visit to Philadelphia, that is going up for auction. Photo courtesy of the World Meeting of Families — Pope Francis is shown exiting a Fiat that transported him during his September visit to Philadelphia. It is scheduled for auction Jan. 29. *Photo courtesy of the World Meeting of Families*

The vehicle will be auctioned to the public at the annual Philadelphia Auto Show Black Tie Tailgate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Friday, Jan. 29 at 9 p.m., according to a press release from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the World Meeting of Families.

The auction will be conducted by Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Co. and will allow for both in-person and remote bidding. While the gala will support The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) through the Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation, the auction of “Pope Francis’ Philly FIAT” will benefit select ministries and missions of the archdiocese, the release said.

In addition to the auction, the Philadelphia Auto Show will display the second FIAT 500L used by Pope Francis in Philadelphia during the show, which runs from Saturday, Jan. 30, through Sunday, Feb. 7. The archdiocese may elect to auction this second vehicle during the Black Tie Tailgate as well and allow it to remain on display through the close of the Auto Show.

“I’m deeply grateful to FIAT Chrysler for its generosity in giving the Archdiocese of Philadelphia the two FIATS used by Pope Francis during his visit to Philadelphia on Sept. 26-27,” Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said in the release. “When we learned that these vehicles would be given to us, we wanted to find some way for the public to see them and answer Pope Francis’ call to love and care for the poor.

“Our partnership with the Philadelphia Auto Show provides us with the wonderful opportunity to share these vehicles with the community while also connecting with a highly engaged audience for the great benefit of society’s most vulnerable and marginalized members,” the archbishop said.