25 Nov 2025, 15:38
Transformation of the Popemobile into a Mobile Clinic for Children in Gaza
- The mobile clinic for children in Gaza is ready to operate.
- The clinic can treat nearly 200 children per day.
- It is unknown when the vehicle will manage to enter Gaza.
This is reported by NBC News, Asharq Al-Awsat.
/ Source: Reuters
The vehicle, which was used by Pope Francis during his visit to Bethlehem more than ten years ago, has been transformed into a mobile clinic that Christian leaders hope will be used to provide aid to Palestinian children in Gaza.
This project received the blessing of Francis before his death in April and was implemented by the trusted Catholic organization Caritas, which carried out the conversion of the vehicle, officially presented at a press conference in Bethlehem.
“We are glad that we have a serious contribution to the protection of children’s health in Gaza,” said Caritas General Secretary Alister Dutton at the press conference in Bethlehem.
Francis used the vehicle, a converted Mitsubishi pickup truck that was a gift from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to Bethlehem in 2014.
Opening the platform on the back of the vehicle, where the pope previously stood during his visits to Bethlehem, they closed it and converted it into a treatment zone for children.
“This vehicle is a testament to the fact that the world has not forgotten about the children of Gaza,” said Cardinal Anders Arborelius from Stockholm, who turned to Francis before his death with the idea of Caritas to transform the Popemobile into a mobile pediatric clinic.
Peter Brune, General Secretary of Caritas Sweden, noted that the mobile clinic can treat nearly 200 children per day.
However, it is unclear when the vehicle will manage to enter Gaza, where formal permission is required, despite the ongoing war.
“As soon as this becomes possible,” Dutton said, declining to comment further. COGAT, the Israeli agency responsible for coordinating aid deliveries to the enclave, declined to comment on the request.
Father Ibrahim Faltas expressed hope that the vehicle would be moved to Gaza in the "nearest future," noting that the Popemobile, transformed into a clinic, is ready to assist children in Gaza.
At least 67 children killed since the start of the ceasefire
The UNICEF Child Fund reported on Friday that at least 67 children have been killed as a result of incidents related to the conflict since the ceasefire was implemented.
The Israeli army announced that it is targeting militants who pose a threat to its soldiers, who occupy part of Gaza.
Francis often expressed concern about the war in Gaza and referred to the humanitarian situation there as "tragic." He also called for the release of hostages captured by Palestinian militants, meeting with their relatives and denouncing the Hamas attack on Israel, which sparked the war.
It is known that he also spoke by phone with a small Christian community in Gaza every evening during the war.
“We know how much Pope Francis loves the people of the Holy Land, the people of Bethlehem and, in particular, the people of Gaza,” said Father Faltas, a representative of the Franciscan brothers in the State of Palestine.
Tags: Middle East/Well-being