The popemobile used by the late pope Francis on his 2014 visit to Bethlehem re-emerged on Tuesday as a mobile children’s clinic to be deployed in Gaza.<\/p>\n
The vehicle is still unmistakeable as a popemobile: pristine white inside and out, and with the familiar raised canopy.<\/p>\n
But instead of transporting the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, the re-branded “Vehicle of Hope” is now set to serve in the war-battered Gaza Strip, in accordance with the late pope’s wishes.<\/p>\n
It was unveiled in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, around the corner from the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square, where preparations are well underway for Christmas.<\/p>\n
“The Vehicle of Hope is ready for its new mission,” Cardinal Anders Arborelius, the Bishop of Stockholm, told a press conference, after blessing the vehicle.<\/p>\n
“We want every child we reach to feel seen, heard and protected. The rights and well-being of the child come first.<\/p>\n
“This vehicle stands as a testament: the world has not forgotten the children of Gaza.<\/p>\n
“This is not just a vehicle: it’s a message of compassion, dignity and hope.”<\/p>\n
Staffed by medics, the popemobile is intended for performing triage and is equipped for examination, diagnosis and treatment, including vaccines, stitches and tests for infections.<\/p>\n
The clinic should be able to perform up to 200 consultations a day. The children will sit in the pontiff’s chair while being attended to.<\/p>\n
– Pope’s ‘final wish’ –<\/p>\n
In May 2014, Francis visited Amman, Bethlehem and Jerusalem, on his second international visit as pontiff. The popemobile was used as he toured Bethlehem, greeting the crowds gathered in Manger Square.<\/p>\n
A gift from the Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, the converted Mitsubishi was later given to Franciscan friars.<\/p>\n
Pope Francis died on April 21 aged 88, and his final wish for Gaza’s children was that the popemobile should become a mobile health unit, the official Vatican News portal said in May.<\/p>\n
The vehicle was transformed by Caritas, the Catholic humanitarian aid organisation. Costing $15,000, it has been repurposed and spruced up by Palestinian mechanics. The open sides have been screened off.<\/p>\n
“The children of Gaza were very close to the heart of pope Francis,” said Peter Brune, secretary general of the Caritas Sweden branch.<\/p>\n
“They will sit on the seat of the pope, and be treated like the most valuable person on Earth.”<\/p>\n
However, there is no date yet as to when it might receive Israeli authorisation to enter Gaza, where a fragile truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect on October 10 after two years of war that devastated healthcare in the Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n
“As with all humanitarian assistance, we urgently need access to Gaza,” Caritas secretary general Alistair Dutton told AFP.<\/p>\n
“We’re working through the official channels to get this in as quickly as possible.”<\/p>\n
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