Pope Francis’s Popemobile Turned into Mobile Clinic for Gaza Kids, Fulfilling Late Pontiff’s Final Wish
This final act, the Vatican says, is intended to uphold children’s fundamental rights and dignity amid the ongoing crisis.
In a powerful gesture of compassion and solidarity, one of Pope Francis’s popemobiles is being converted into a mobile health clinic for children in Gaza, the Vatican has confirmed.
The initiative, fulfilling one of the late pontiff’s final wishes before his death last month, is being coordinated by Caritas Jerusalem with support from Caritas Sweden and aims to deliver urgent medical care to some of Gaza’s most vulnerable residents.
The specially outfitted vehicle, originally used by Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to the Holy Land, will be equipped with diagnostic and emergency medical equipment, including rapid infection tests, vaccines, suture kits, and other essential supplies.
Staffed by medical professionals, the clinic will target communities where access to healthcare has been devastated by the ongoing conflict and blockade.
According to Caritas, the popemobile will begin its mission once humanitarian access to Gaza is restored. The region’s health system has nearly collapsed after months of war, and more than 9,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition since the start of the year, UNICEF reports.
The Vatican emphasised that the project is not only a life-saving intervention but also a message to Gaza’s children that the world has not forgotten them.
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis was a vocal advocate for peace and humanitarian aid in Gaza, maintaining regular contact with the Christian community there and calling for an end to violence.
This final act, the Vatican says, is intended to uphold children’s fundamental rights and dignity amid the ongoing crisis.
