Francis' Popemobile to become mobile clinic for Gaza's children

One of Pope Francis' popemobiles is to be repurposed and will become a mobile health clinic for children in Gaza, in accordance with the late pontiff's last wishes.

The so-called popemobiles are the vehicles the leaders of the Catholic Church have used over the years on papal visits to various countries and territories.

'A concrete, life-saving intervention' — Caritas

The Vatican's media service Vatican News reported that Pope Francis, who passed away last month, entrusted the project to the Catholic aid organization Caritas Jerusalem in the months before his death.

"This is a concrete, life-saving intervention at a time when the health system in Gaza has almost completely collapsed," Peter Brune, Secretary General of Caritas Sweden, which is supporting the project, told Vatican News.

It is the same vehicle used by Francis on his trip to the Holy Land in 2014 and it will be outfitted with equipment for diagnosis, medical examinations and treatment, the Vatican's media service reported on Sunday.

The vehicle will be staffed by doctors and medics and would be tasked with reaching children in isolated parts of Gaza.

Children of Gaza 'not forgotten'

"It's not just a vehicle," Brune added. "It's a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza."

Vatican News quoted Francis as often saying: "Children are not numbers. They are faces. Names. Stories. And each one is sacred."

Pope Francis had been a vocal advocate of peace in Gaza and condemned the bombing of children in the Palestinian territory and called for an end to hostilities.

Since the war in Gaza started in 2023, Pope Francis made sure to regularly call Palestinians sheltering in a small Catholic parish in Gaza City.

This week, Catholic cardinals will enter a sealed conclave to elect a new pope.