The popemobile that Pope Francis used during his visit to Bethlehem in 2014 will be transformed into a mobile clinic for children in Gaza, fulfilling one of his last wishes before he died. The vehicle will be sent to the Gaza Strip, where children are experiencing one of the most severe humanitarian crises following the armed conflict and prolonged occupation.
The decision, made public by Caritas Jerusalem, responds to a personal request from the Argentine pontiff, who died on 21 April. The white Mitsubishi vehicle, which accompanied the Pope on his travels among the faithful, will be adapted as a mobile health unit to provide medical care for wounded and malnourished children in the Palestinian enclave.
According to Vatican News, Francis expressed his wish that the vehicle be used to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable. Caritas, the humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church, is already working with its branch in Sweden to condition the vehicle and take it to the conflict zone.
“The humanitarian situation in Gaza cannot wait,” said Caritas in a statement. “The suffering of children in this region is an open wound that calls for concrete action”.
The Gaza Strip faces a humanitarian emergency aggravated by years of blockade, military operations and restrictions imposed by Israel. According to international organizations, much of the medical infrastructure has been destroyed or is not operational, while thousands of children suffer from malnutrition, injuries and physical and psychological trauma.
Although symbolic, the Vatican’s gesture is part of a broader call to the international community to address the crisis in Gaza and not abandon the Palestinian people in the midst of the conflict.
