One of the final wishes of Pope Francis - to convert his Popemobile into a mobile clinic to vaccinate Gaza’s children - still remains ungranted on the first anniversary of his death.
This particular Popemobile, dubbed the 'Vehicle of Hope', is intended to treat as many as 200 Palestinian children from the war-torn enclave, but the vehicle remains barred from entering Gaza by Israeli authorities.
The vehicle was put on display in a glass case outside a Bethlehem ice cream shop in the occupied West Bank following his 2014 visit to the region, and has remained there ever since.
Although the Jerusalem branch of the Catholic charity Caritas has carried out the essential work needed to convert the Popemobile into a mobile clinic, the vehicle is still awaiting permission to enter Gaza to fulfil the pope's final wish, despite many pleas to Israeli authorities.
The charity, however, was included in a list of 37 NGOs barred from operating in the Gaza Strip by Israel late last year.
The ban came in response to the NGOs’ refusal to comply with Israeli demands that personal details of workers should be released as part of a "transparency requirement" policy. NGOs rejected Israel’s request over concerns that providing staff members’ personal details could put them at risk, and the move prompted the likes of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to appeal the decision at Israel’s Supreme Court.
Caritas has also lodged a separate appeal based on the fact that it is a religious charity, rather than an NGO
Peter Brune, the secretary general of Caritas' Swedish branch, told Irish outlet The Journal that many are still wondering why the vehicle hasn't made it to the war-battered territory.
Brune said he was "frustrated" over Israel’s lack of cooperation, but said the situation also highlights the dire conditions in the Gaza Strip and how they are affecting children .
A spokesperson for Caritas, however, told the BBC that a permit is "being processed" with Israeli authorities, following dialogue initiated by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Should it be granted permission to reach Gaza, the 'Vehicle of Hope' will be equipped with a doctor, a nurse, and a driver on board, ready to treat children with a variety of vaccinations and medical treatments.
"The children of Gaza have their right to proper medical care, and the world is watching," Brune said.
Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius, a close confidant of the late pope , also expressed hope that the vehicle makes it to Gaza soon.
"It's a purely humanitarian action, it has nothing to do with politics," he told the BBC .
Less than a month after his death in April last year, it was revealed that the then-pontiff had given his blessing for a Popemobile used for his papal journey during his 2014 Middle East visit to be converted into a mobile clinic for Gaza’s children, who have been subjected to war, ill-health, and trauma over the past two and a half years. Pope Francis and Gaza Tuesday marks the first death anniversary of Pope Francis, the celebrated pontiff who openly advocated for the end of the war in Gaza, and who mentioned the war-torn enclave in his last Easter sermon, one day before he died on 21 April 2025.
Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope, was outspoken and critical of Israel’s military assault on the Gaza Strip, and called for international investigations into whether Israel’s atrocities in the Palestinian enclave amounted to genocide .
Throughout Israel’s war in Gaza, launched in October 2023, Pope Francis maintained daily conversations with the enclave’s only Catholic church , calling the parish at the Holy Family Church in Gaza City every night to check on their well-being.
The Pope called around 8pm local time and spoke with the priests, worshippers, and displaced Palestinians sheltering there, offering them a sense of comfort and hope amid their ordeal at the hands of Israeli forces.
Pope Francis often asked them what they ate that day and other questions related to daily life, with residents speaking of their sorrow that the pontiff had departed.
Following his death, one Palestinian said that he now "felt like an orphan" as he would no longer be able to communicate with the pope.
In the onset of the war in Gaza, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian Christian women, Nahida and Samar Anton, as they walked in the compound of the Holy Family Church on their way to the bathroom. Pope Francis called the incident an act of "terrorism" .
The Argentine pontiff also frequently called for a ceasefire and end to hostilities in Gaza, and requested for international assistance to the "deplorable" humanitarian situation in the Strip.
In the context of Palestinian issues, Pope Francis also advocated for a two-state solution.
Other than his stance on the Palestinian territories and Gaza, Pope Francis had urged for more inclusivity for the LGBTQ community within the Catholic faith, and frequently condemned the rise of right-wing populism and anti-migrant rhetoric.
Francis’ successor, Pope Leo XIV , has also been outspoken over war, imperialism, and anti-migrant sentiments.