Francis' popemobile transformed into mobile clinic for Gaza children

The popemobile, a vehicle used by the late Pope Francis during a visit to Bethlehem has been transformed into a mobile health clinic.

A vehicle used by the late Pope Francis during a visit to Bethlehem more than a decade ago has been transformed into a mobile health clinic that Christian leaders hope will soon be used to provide care to Palestinian children in Gaza.

The initiative was blessed by Francis before he died in April and was entrusted to the Catholic organization Caritas, which oversaw the project to convert the vehicle unveiled on Tuesday.

“We’re pleased that we have here a serious contribution towards the healthcare of children in Gaza,” Caritas Secretary-General Alistair Dutton told a news conference in Bethlehem.

Francis had used the vehicle, a converted Mitsubishi pick-up that was donated by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, during his visit to Bethlehem in 2014.

The open platform at the back of the vehicle, where the pope once stood as he travelled through Bethlehem, has now been enclosed and converted into the children’s treatment area.