Pope Francis’ New Idea: Raffling Off His Stuff for Charity!

A Fiat.  A coffee maker.  Some bikes.

These are among the gifts which Pope Francis has received from fans and visitors.  And rather than stashing the unneeded items in a closet or a garage, this most practical pontiff is raffling them off to raise money for the poor and homeless.

Posters advertising the raffle have gone up around Rome.  The raffle tickets, priced at 10 Euros ($13), are on sale at the Vatican Post Office and Vatican Pharmacy, as well as at the Museums and the Pilgrim and Tourist Office.  The raffle will take place January 8, and winners will be announced that same day.

Dr. Thomas D. Willliams, writing on the Breitbart website, describes the prizes:

First prize is a fully loaded Fiat Panda. The car is white, of course, because the car, as well as all other prizes, are the presents given to the Pope during the year, which he has decided to use to raise money for worthwhile social initiatives.

Second prize, on the other hand, is a heavenly blue racing bike, and the third through fifth prizes are also bicycles: one orange with a basket, another gray, and another a tandem. The sixth prize is a high-definition, Japanese digital videocamera, followed by watches, silver frames, fine pens, briefcases, wireless devices for iPod and iPhone, and an Illy coffee maker. There is even a white Panama hat, made by the Ecuadorian milliner Homero Ortega.

Along with the main items there will be a series of consolation prizes given away: umbrellas, perfumes, scarves, books, and belts. All are raffled as a way to make concrete gestures of charity toward the needy.

Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, Governor of Vatican City-State, will oversee the raffle, along with a notary.