On Thursday, four blindfolded children drew numbers from an urn of the charity lottery for the charitable works of the Holy Father. The drawing took place in the Hall of the Notaries of the Palace of the Governorate of Vatican City State, in the presence of the Secretary General, Monsignor Fernando Verguez, L.C., and of a lawyer of the Juridical Office and some State functionaries.
There are 43 prizes in total, and they range from a Fiat Panda model, to an “Homero Ortega” Panama hat, a grey bicycle, and a coffee machine. The rest are consolation prizes, which are not known yet but could be a religious object, such as a Rosary or a commemorative medal of Francis’ pontificate.
The funds collected, the total of which the Vatican has yet to release, will serve to fund the Pope’s charitable works for the poor.
The winning numbers were published today. While number 00333 corresponds to the Panda, the highest winning number was 27,970 of the Panama hat. Raffle tickets were priced at 10 euros each.
The raffle was internal to Vatican City, and the numbers could not be purchased in Rome. However, what began as an internal raffle became an important initiative.
“I bought some 30 raffle tickets,” a priest who works at the Vatican told ZENIT. “None are for me, but for friends and relatives who asked me for them.”
In a communique released by the Holy See Press Office, the Governorate of Vatican City State thanked “all those who bought tickets, thus making it possible to collect a significant sum, which in the forthcoming days will be handed directly into the Holy Father’s hands, who will allocate them to his charitable works.”
Throughout his pontificate, the Pope has called on Christians to care for the needy. During a General Audience on November 19th, he told the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square that helping the poor is one of the many small steps toward holiness.
“Small things are small steps toward holiness. And every step towards holiness will make us better people, free from selfishness and being closed in on ourselves, and open us up to our brothers and sisters and their needs,” he said.
