Pope Francis’ Popemobile Being Converted Into Mobile Clinic For Children In Gaza
One of Pope Francis’s former popemobiles is being converted into a mobile healthcare clinic to treat injured and malnourished children in Gaza, the Vatican confirmed on Sunday.
The vehicle, used by the late pontiff during his 2014 visit to the Holy Land, was entrusted to Caritas Jerusalem, a Catholic aid organisation, as part of one of Francis’s final wishes before his passing.
The initiative comes as Gaza continues to face a deepening humanitarian crisis amid ongoing conflict.
The popemobile is being retrofitted with diagnostic and treatment equipment to serve as a mobile health station.
Once safe access to Gaza is possible, the vehicle will be deployed to communities without functioning healthcare facilities, Caritas said.
“It’s not just a vehicle, it’s a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza,” said Peter Brune, secretary general of Caritas Sweden.
Throughout his papacy, Francis consistently called for peace, including ceasefires in both the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars. He made his final such appeal on Easter Sunday, one day before his death.
In the months before his passing, he had been making near-nightly phone calls to the Holy Family Church, Gaza’s only Catholic church, which has served as a shelter for both Christian and Muslim residents during the war.
The conclave to elect his Pope Francis’ successor is set to begin on Wednesday.
READ NEXT: 'An Attack On Children': Malta’s EU Commissioner Condemns Strikes On Gaza Aid
