The popemobile, used in Pope Francis’ 2014 visit to Bethlehem, was converted into an ambulance at the behest of the late pontiff.
(LifeSiteNews) – The late Pope Francis’ old popemobile, converted into an ambulance, has been denied entry to the Gaza Strip.
The vehicle, used in the late pontiff’s 2014 visit to Bethlehem, is meant to serve the nearly one million displaced children in Gaza, many of whom lack access to food, water, and medical care. The gift was seen as part of Francis’ final call for peace in the war-torn region.
Despite being fully retrofitted and ready to serve those in dire need, the vehicle remains stuck outside Gaza's border due to closures, including that of the Rafah Crossing, and logistical barriers posed by military-controlled distribution routes. According to Caritas Jerusalem, the charity group to which the popemobile was entrusted, some humanitarian aid is entering the zone, but it is controlled by the military distribution points.
“We are still working in coordination with government agencies to ensure the popemobile enters Gaza,” stated Caritas spokesman Harout Bedrossian. “But the borders remain closed, and in my opinion, it will not be possible in the near future.”
The blocked ambulance adds to a growing list of stalled humanitarian efforts in Gaza as the conflict drags on. Since hostilities reignited in October 2023, more than 50,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, many of them civilians, including large numbers of children.
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Some humanitarian aid efforts have reportedly met with gunfire at the Israeli border. According to a pending UN investigation and eyewitness accounts cited in multiple news reports, IDF forces allegedly opened fire on civilians waiting for food.
The news comes just a week after Pope Leo XIV called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as well as for proper humanitarian aid to be given to its inhabitants.
"In the Gaza Strip, the intense cries are reaching Heaven more and more from mothers and fathers who hold tightly to the bodies of their dead children," the new pontiff said at his general audience in St. Peter’s Square on May 28th.
"To those responsible, I renew my appeal,” he continued. “Stop the fighting. Liberate all the hostages. Completely respect humanitarian law."
While calling for peace in Gaza, Pope Leo has also worked to bridge religious divides in the shadow of the conflict.
On Monday, Pope Leo may have extended an olive branch to the Jewish community by honoring Blessed Iuliu Hossu, a Romanian Greek-Catholic cardinal who opposed Nazi and communist oppression and helped save Jewish lives during the Holocaust.
At the commemoration, Pope Leo condemned the killing of the defenseless.
“Let us say no to violence in all its forms, and even more so when it is perpetrated against those who are defenseless and vulnerable, like children and families,” he said.
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