Popemobile transformed into Gaza mobile children's clinic
BETHLEHEM: The popemobile used by the late Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to Bethlehem re-emerged on Tuesday (Nov 25) as a mobile children's clinic that will be deployed in Gaza, in line with the late pontiff’s wishes.
The pristine white vehicle, still instantly recognisable with its raised canopy, has been rebranded as the “Vehicle of Hope”. It will no longer carry the leader of the world’s Roman Catholics but instead provide medical care in the war-battered Gaza Strip.
Unveiled in Bethlehem near the Church of the Nativity, the clinic was blessed by Cardinal Anders Arborelius, the Bishop of Stockholm. He said the vehicle was intended to send a message that “the world has not forgotten the children of Gaza”.
Staffed by medical professionals, the mobile unit can conduct examinations, diagnosis and treatment, including vaccines, stitches and infection tests. It is designed to handle up to 200 consultations a day, with children seated in the pontiff’s former chair during treatment.
POPE’S FINAL WISH
Pope Francis visited Amman, Bethlehem and Jerusalem in May 2014 on his second international trip as pope. The popemobile was used as he toured Bethlehem and greeted crowds in Manger Square.
The Palestinian president at the time, Mahmud Abbas, gifted the vehicle to Francis. It was later given to the Franciscan friars. According to Vatican News, the late pope asked that the vehicle be turned into a mobile health unit for Gaza’s children before his death on April 21 this year. He was 88.
The popemobile was converted by Caritas, the Catholic aid organisation. Palestinian mechanics refurbished it at a cost of 15,000 US dollars. The open sides were screened off to allow for medical privacy.
“The children of Gaza were very close to the heart of Pope Francis,” said Peter Brune, secretary general of Caritas Sweden. “They will sit in the pope’s seat and be treated like the most valuable person on Earth.”
Caritas has not yet received Israeli authorisation for the vehicle to enter Gaza. The fragile truce between Israel and Hamas, in place since Oct 10, has left Gaza’s healthcare system devastated and humanitarian access heavily restricted.
“We urgently need access to Gaza,” said Caritas secretary general Alistair Dutton. “We are working through official channels to get this in as quickly as possible.”
