By Matthew Gambino • Posted November 29, 2017

One of two cars Pope Francis used during his historic visit to Philadelphia in September 2015 will be auctioned off beginning Nov. 29 through Dec. 20 on the online auction website Charitybuzz.com.

Bids are being accepted now for the Fiat 500L at the website, here.

According to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, net proceeds from the sale at auction will benefit this year’s Catholic Charities Appeal, which funds dozens of human service agencies aiding tens of thousands of people in the Philadelphia region each year regardless of creed or background.

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“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, 2015,” said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.

“When we learned that these vehicles would be given to us, we wanted to use them in a manner consistent with Pope Francis’ call to love and care for the poor. Our partnership with Charitybuzz provides an excellent opportunity to benefit society’s most vulnerable and marginalized members.”

An interior view of the car used by Pope Francis in Philadelphia.

Both vehicles are four-door sedans with four-cylinder, 1.4 liter engines, granite-color paint and Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) issued by the U.S. Secret Service for the 2015 papal visit.

The first of the two identical cars was sold at an auction in January 2016 with a high bid of $82,000. All the proceeds from that sale were directed to archdiocesan ministries.

The second car now on the auction block also has an authenticated VIN. It has only 456 original miles and its interior with black leather and white accents has remained spotless in the two years since the papal visit.

The two cars each were prepositioned at various locations in Philadelphia as needed to transport Pope Francis during his two-day visit to the city.