Pope Francis’ personal iPad fetches $30,500 at Uruguay auction

An iPad that belonged to Argentina-born Pope Francis went under the hammer for $30,500 on Tuesday, auctioneers in Uruguay said. Montevideo-based auction house Castells said the winning bid was placed by telephone. The pope gave it - complete with its His Holiness Francis label and a Vatican certificate of authenticity - to an Uruguayan priest as a gift. It ended up being donated to a local school by the priest, before being auctioned off to raise money.

This is the iPad the pope was using regularly and, besides, it has a certificate of authenticity from the Vatican itself.

Auctioneer Juan Castells

It is not the first time Pope Francis, who has often criticized orthodox market economics for fostering inequality, has donated a personal belonging. Last year, a Harley-Davidson motorbike he had received as a gift fetched 241,500 euros ($257,681). Pope Francis has called the Internet a “gift from God,” but confesses to being a “disaster” with technology.