Bethlehem: The vehicle once used by Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to Bethlehem has been converted into a mobile paediatric clinic and will now travel to Gaza to provide medicines and medical care to children. The transformed “Popemobile”, gifted to the Pope at the time by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, has been refitted under the supervision of the Catholic charity Caritas and is now fully operational.
The mobile clinic can treat up to 200 children a day. Caritas Sweden’s Secretary-General Peter Brune earlier said the initiative was not just about donating a vehicle but about sending a message that the world has not forgotten Gaza’s wounded children. Pope Francis, who passed away on 21 April, had repeatedly appealed for an end to Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
However, with Israeli strikes continuing, it remains uncertain when the converted clinic will be able to enter the Gaza Strip.