Pope auctions Lamborghini to rebuild Christian Iraq

Pope Francis got the keys to a fancy new Lamborghini on Wednesday — but he won't be tooling around the Vatican gardens in it.

Pope Francis writes on the bonnet of a Lamborghini donated to him by the luxury sports car maker, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017. The car will be auctioned off by Sotheby's, with the proceeds going to charities including one aimed at helping rebuild Christian communities in Iraq that were devastated by the Islamic State group. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

Instead, the special edition Huracan will be auctioned off by Sotheby's, with the proceeds going to charities including one aimed at helping rebuild Christian communities in Iraq that were devastated by the Islamic State group.

Officials from the luxury sports car maker presented Francis with the sleek white car with papal yellow-gold detailing on Wednesday, outside the Vatican hotel where he lives. The pope promptly blessed it.

Base prices for the Huracan, which was first introduced in 2014, usually start at around 183,000 euros ($217,000.) A special edition built for a papal charity would be expected to fetch far more at auction.

Pope Francis speaks with CEO of Lamborghini Stefano Domenicali next to a white Lamborghini donated to the pontiff by the luxury sports car maker, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017.  (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

Francis got around his native Buenos Aires on public transport and has long railed against people who buy the latest model cars or cellphones. As pope, he uses a blue Ford Focus inside the Vatican walls, and he has made a statement on all his foreign trips by shunning fancy, bullet-proof SUVs and opting instead for modest Fiats or KIAs.

Some of the funds raised from the auction will go to rebuilding homes, churches and public buildings in Iraq's Nineveh Plains that were devastated during three years of fighting by the Islamic State group. The Vatican said the aim is to allow Christians who were forced to flee Nineveh "to finally return to their roots and recover their dignity."

Pope Francis speaks with Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali in front of a Lamborghini donated to him by the luxury sports car maker, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017. (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

Other funds will go to charities that help women who are trafficked and forced into prostitution, and those that provide medical care in Africa.

The Sant'Agata Bolognese-based Lamborghini is owned by Germany's Volkswagen.

Pope Francis speaks with CEO of Lamborghini Stefano Domenicali next to a white Lamborghini donated to the pontiff by the luxury sports car maker, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017.  (L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis blesses a Lamborghini donated to him by the luxury sports car maker, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017.(L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP)

ADELBODEN, Switzerland (AP) — The big surprise of the World Cup slalom season scored his second win Sunday adding to his fast-rising reputation before the Winter Olympics.

Paco Rassat raced to the fastest time in the second run to rise from fourth place, and push two Norwegians down the podium steps after they had been fastest in the morning run.

United States-born Atle Lie McGrath was edged out by 0.18 seconds and first-run leader Henrik Kristoffersen dropped to third, trailing 0.20 behind Rassat.

The 27-year-old Frenchman had a career-best result of ninth in World Cup races before this Olympic season started.

Rassat now has two wins, a third place and two sixth places this season and shapes as a medal contender for the Milano Cortina Olympics. The men’s slalom is on Feb. 16 at Bormio.

“To win on this crazy hill at Adelboden, It’s something really unbelievable," Rassat told Swiss broadcaster RTS, describing his season as “a magnificent surprise.”

Rassat also took the lead in the seasonlong World Cup slalom standings, ahead of his France teammate Clément Noël, the defending Olympic champion. Noël tied for eighth Sunday.

McGrath was runner-up in the Adelboden slalom for the third time in four years.

“It’s kind of crazy,” said McGrath, whose father Felix skied for the U.S. at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. “I’m of course super happy, it’s such a challenging slope and mentally it’s one of the toughest places to perform because of this amazing crowd.”

Another packed finish-area crowd at Adelboden observed a minute’s silence before racing for the victims of the fatal fire in a bar in nearby Crans-Montana on New Year’s Day. Crans-Montana hosts men’s and women’s World Cup races in three weeks’ time.

The World Cup overall standings leader, four-time title holder Marco Odermatt, does not ski slalom and his huge lead was cut a little by Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who placed fourth. Pinheiro Braathen was second to Odermatt in the classic giant slalom Saturday.

The men’s World Cup circuit stays in central Switzerland for the storied Lauberhorn meeting at Wengen, for a super-G on Friday, the classic downhill Saturday and a slalom Sunday.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

Norway's Atle Lie McGrath reacts at the finish line during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen reacts at the finish line during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

France's Paco Rassat speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)

France's Paco Rassat reacts at the finish line during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Finland's Eduard Hallberg speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Norway's Atle Lie McGrath speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen ahead of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)