The global Catholic charity organization Caritas, asked Pope Francis in the final years of his life if he would like to see his old ‘popemobile’ used as a mobile hospital for children.
Blessing the idea, the back of the vehicle was converted under the auspices of the Swedish Caritas chapter into a children’s clinic, capable of treating 200 kids a day in Gaza—where it is set to hopefully be deployed.
The vehicle in question started out its life as a Mitsubishi pickup truck, and had actually been converted into a popemobile-style vehicle and given to the former Pope on the occasion of his visit to Bethlehem by the President of the PA, Mahmoud Abbas.
Pope Francis was known to call the small Christian communities in Gaza every evening during the siege of the last 2 years. He had called for an end to the war, a return of all hostages, and an immediate end to the humanitarian aid blockade imposed by Israel.
“This vehicle stands as a testimony that the world has not forgotten the children of Gaza,” said Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm, who had approached Francis before his death about Caritas’ idea of converting the former popemobile into a mobile pediatric clinic.
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It’s unclear if the Israeli agency will permit the vehicle to enter Gaza, where a ceasefire has failed to hold, even as the staged military withdrawal of the IDF and release of the remaining Israeli hostages has. The agency declined to comment on the matter.
“We know how much Pope Francis loved the people of the Holy Land, the people of Bethlehem, and especially the people of Gaza,” said Father Ibrahim Faltas, representative of the Franciscan Friars to the State of Palestine.
SHARE This Last Act Of The Late Pope Toward The People Of Gaza…