Pope's iPad fetches $30,500 at auction

Pope Francis gestures on April 15, 2014 during his weekly general audience at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO

An iPad that belonged to Argentina-born Pope Francis went under the hammer for $30,500 on Tuesday, autioneers in Uruguay said.

Montevideo-based auction house Castells said the winning bid was placed by telephone.

Local media threw a spotlight on the iPad last year.

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.