“Jesus Bikers” and Missio Present White Motorcycle in St. Peter’s Square
This morning, during the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV signed a specially converted BMW R18 motorcycle, customized by BMW and the Witzel Motorcycle House. For the second time, the German "Jesus Bikers" brought a "Pope Bike" to Rome as part of their "Peace Ride." The "papal" motorcycle will be auctioned to support a Missio aid project in Madagascar.
In collaboration with the German "Jesus Bikers," the idea emerged to set a special sign of hope for the poorest and most exploited children in Madagascar during the Holy Year 2025. This marks the second cooperation between the Christian motorcycle group and the Pontifical Mission Societies in Austria. In 2019, they presented Pope Francis with a white motorcycle, which was later auctioned for a Missio aid project. Missio National Director Father Karl Wallner expressed his joy at the successful collaboration: “The ‘Jesus Bikers’ come from a milieu where faith is something extraordinary. It is a great joy that, in the Jubilee Year, they made this pilgrimage to Rome and were able to present the motorcycle to the successor of Peter. The joy is even greater because Pope Leo XIV was delighted with the motorcycle. And we will rejoice once again when the ‘Pope Bike’ helps the children in Madagascar.”
A Successful Partnership
BMW Motorrad and the Witzel Motorcycle House were responsible for this year’s "Pope Bike." Over several weeks, a specialized team at Witzel rebuilt the BMW motorcycle with great attention to detail, inspired by the white Popemobile. The result is a moving symbol of faith, solidarity, and peace. The white BMW R18 was the highlight of the motorcycle group’s second "Peace Ride." The tour led the bikers from Schaafheim through Altötting and Verona, aiming to raise awareness of the dire situation of thousands of children in Madagascar. The climax of the Peace Ride was today’s General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, where Pope Leo XIV signed the specially designed BMW motorcycle and even briefly sat on it. The bike will be auctioned in Munich in October, with proceeds going to support children working in Madagascar’s mica mines.
Hope for Madagascar
Around 20,000 people toil under slave-like conditions in some 176 mines in southern Madagascar, extracting the globally sought-after mineral mica. Half of the miners are children. Families earn just around five cents per kilogram of mica sold. Once processed, the raw material sells in China for about €12—a price increase of 5,614 percent. Madagascar is considered the world’s largest exporter of mica, which gives many cosmetics and paints their characteristic shimmer. Each year, the country exports around 1,545 tons of the mineral to the electronics, construction, paint, and cosmetics industries, mainly in China. Missio Austria is supporting the local Malagasy NGO TSIMOKA in building a school for the children of the mines—because the future of these children can only be secured through education.
