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54m ago

Pope Francis’s Former Popemobile Presented in Bethlehem as Pediatric Clinic for Gaza, Awaiting Israeli Approval

The project reflects the late pontiff’s wish to bring care to Gaza’s children, according to the Vatican.

The one-time popemobile used by Pope Francis during a 2014 visit to Bethlehem and was repurposed into a mobile health clinic for children in the Gaza Strip, an initiative approved by the Pope before his death, is displayed in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
El papamóvil con el que Francisco recorrió Belén quiere salvar vidas en Gaza, pero Israel aún no lo autoriza su uso.
El papa León XIV saluda desde su papamóvil al final de la misa del Jubileo de los Migrantes y Misioneros en la Plaza de San Pedro del Vaticano, el domingo 5 de octubre del 2025. | Crédito: AP/Alessandra Tarantino
Se trata de un vehículo usado por Francisco en una visita a Belén en 2014.

Overview

  • The refurbished Mitsubishi, now called the “Vehicle of Hope,” was unveiled near Bethlehem’s Basilica of the Nativity and blessed by Cardinal Anders Arborelius.
  • Caritas says the unit is outfitted for frontline pediatric care with vaccines, oxygen supplies, rapid tests and suture kits and can treat about 200 children a day.
  • Caritas Internationalis reports ongoing negotiations with Israeli authorities to allow the unit into Gaza and to coordinate with roughly ten existing mobile clinics there.
  • Originally donated in 2014 by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the vehicle now bears the logos of Caritas, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority.
  • Organizers note space for up to four medical staff and a stripped-down interior designed for conflict conditions, including refrigerated storage for medicines.