Pope Francis’s Last Wish: Popemobile to Serve Gaza’s Sick Children
Honoring his last wish, the late pope’s vehicle will soon deliver vital healthcare to children trapped in Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe.
Before his death on April 21, Pope Francis donated one of his personal vehicles—known as the “Popemobile”—to be repurposed as a mobile health unit for sick children in the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to a report by the Italian news agency ANSA, the late pontiff had requested that the vehicle be handed over to Caritas, the Catholic Church’s humanitarian organization, to address urgent health needs in Gaza.
The specially outfitted vehicle, which Pope Francis had previously used to greet the faithful, is being prepared for deployment with assistance from the Swedish branch of Caritas.
Pope Francis’s Legacy of Love and Peace Remembered on the Day of His Funeral
The mobile clinic will be reportedly operated by the Caritas branch in Jerusalem and is expected to be staffed with both a driver and a medical doctor. It will be equipped with diagnostic and treatment tools, including infection testing kits, injection equipment, and other essential medical supplies.
In a press release cited by Vatican News, Peter Brune, Secretary General of Caritas Sweden, wrote that “with the vehicle, we will be able to reach children who today have no access to health care – children who are injured and malnourished”.
“This is a concrete, life-saving intervention at a time when the health system in Gaza has almost completely collapsed”, Brune reportedly added.
The vehicle is set to begin operations as soon as border crossings into Gaza are reopened.
Ex Israeli Amb. Calls Pope Francis Antisemite, Urges Government to Avoid Funeral
Since March 2, Israeli authorities have kept Gaza’s crossings closed to humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and other essentials—deepening an already catastrophic situation in the coastal enclave.
International and human rights organizations report a severe deterioration in Gaza’s humanitarian conditions due to the ongoing blockade and relentless Israeli military campaign.
Ongoing Genocide
Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.
On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 52,000, wounding more than 118,000, with over 14,000 still missing.
Jubilee 2025 – Pope Francis Calls for Investigation into ‘Genocide’ in Gaza
Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.
Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.
(PC, AJA, Vatican News)