One of Pope Francis’ “pope mobiles” is to become a health clinic for children in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, according to the Vatican.
Pope Francis entrusted the pope mobile he used for his 2014 pilgrimage to the Holy Lands to Caritas Jerusalem, a Catholic aid network, to help injured and malnourished children in Gaza, CNN reported.
Caritas Jerusalem is converting the vehicle into a mobile health unit, retrofitting it with medical equipment for diagnosis, examination, and treatment, which includes vaccines, diagnostic instruments, suture kits, and rapid tests for infections, according to Vatican News. The mobile unit will be staffed by doctors and medics and sent to isolated communities in Gaza once there is safe access.
“It’s not just a vehicle, it’s a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza,” Peter Brune, secretary general of Caritas Sweden, said in a statement.
There is only one Catholic church in Gaza, the Holy Family Church, which Pope Francis had made near-nightly calls to as it has been a shelter for the community since Israel’s military campaigns in the area began after the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas.
