Washington Post
Pope Francis’s final gift to the children of Gaza: His popemobile
The vehicle, which Francis used during a 2014 visit to the West Bank, will be turned into a health clinic on wheels designed to treat Palestinian children.
May 5, 2025
“With the vehicle, we will be able to reach children who today have no access to health care — children who are injured and malnourished,” says Peter Brune, secretary general of Caritas Sweden. (Caritas Jerusalem)
Pope Francis, who in his final year of life developed a special connection with the people of Gaza and especially the enclave’s small Christian community, left its people a parting gift: his popemobile.
Before his death last month at the age of 88, Francis directed the Catholic relief organization Caritas to turn the vehicle, which he used during a 2014 visit to the West Bank, into a mobile clinic to treat Palestinian children.
Francis approved the initiative, labeled “Vehicle of Hope,” and prayed for its success, according to a November 2024 letter written by a senior Vatican official reviewed by The Washington Post.
“With the vehicle, we will be able to reach children who today have no access to health care — children who are injured and malnourished,” said Peter Brune, secretary general of Caritas Sweden, which is supporting the initiative. “This is a concrete, lifesaving intervention at a time when the health system in Gaza has almost completely collapsed.” READ THE ARTICLE HERE.