You'll Never Believe How Much Pope Francis' iPad Sold for at This Charity Auction

Proceeds from the sale were donated to a school for the poor in Uruguay

By Alyssa Toomey Apr 15, 2015 8:28 PMTags
Pope Francis, IpadREUTERS/Nicolas Garrido, Brian Zak/Sipa Press/AP; NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images

It's no secret that Pope Francis is a fan of the Internet—in fact, he regularly tweets from the official @Pontifex account. 

So, it should come as no surprise that the native Argentine was also a proud iPad owner prior to auctioning off his tablet at a recent charity event (perhaps he was due for an upgrade?). 

Per NBC News, the iPad previously belonging to the 78-year-old religious figure sold for a whopping $30,500 at an auction on Tuesday in Uruguay. The report also states that proceeds from the sale were donated to a school for the poor in Uruguay. 

The iPad was inscribed with the text, "His Holiness Francisco. Servizio Internet Vatican, March 2013," and also includes a certificate signed by Fabian Pedacchio Leaniz, the pope's personal secretary. 

READ: Pope Francis on a diet! Pontifex told to lay off pasta after apparent weight gain

Local auction house Castells sold the iPad, and in spite of the high price point, NBC reports that there were number of failed attempts at auctioning off the Apple device through houses Christie's and Sotheby's.

And while Castells opted to keep the identity of the buyer private, Uruguayan priest Gonzalo Aemilius donated the tablet to Francisco de Paysandu high school. 

"May you do something good with it," Aemilius recalled being told by the pope, upon being presented with the papal iPad. 

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