The vehicle that once carried Pope Francis through the streets of Bethlehem has returned to the city—this time transformed. What was a symbol of pastoral closeness during the pontiff’s 2014 visit now stands ready as a mobile clinic for Gaza’s children, though it remains stalled at the threshold of the conflict-torn enclave pending Israeli authorization.

 Its second life, Vatican officials say, was among the late pontiff’s final personal wishes. After the death of Francis in April, Church representatives disclosed that he had expressed a desire to see the popemobile repurposed for medical service in Gaza, where years of warfare have devastated health infrastructure and left children among the most vulnerable.

 Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm, who blessed the refitted vehicle during its presentation in Bethlehem, reflected that the gesture would have delighted the late pope. “He would have greeted this news with a broad smile,” he told EFE, recalling Francis’ constant insistence that every child deserves a future not determined by violence.

The transformation is both practical and symbolic. Stripped of its navigation screen, radio, decorative finishes and hubcaps, the Mitsubishi frame has been rebuilt with the bare essentials of emergency pediatric care: rapid diagnostic tests, suture materials, syringes, oxygen supplies, vaccines and a compact medical refrigerator. Up to four medical professionals can work simultaneously inside the small clinical space. Its exterior, simple and white, bears the inscription “Vehicle of Hope,” along with the emblems of Caritas, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Palestinian National Authority.

The initiative comes at a time when Gaza’s already overstretched health system has been shattered by more than two years of war. Caritas Internationalis, which coordinated the project, intends for the mobile clinic to join ten existing Caritas medical units that have sustained damage throughout the conflict. “The plan is for this vehicle to integrate with our remaining teams and help determine where its presence could be most effective,” explained Alistair Dutton, the organization’s secretary general.

Yet its mission is suspended for now. Negotiations with Israeli authorities over humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip remain unresolved, delaying the vehicle’s deployment.

The presentation in Bethlehem was deliberately modest. Held in the courtyard of a café near the Basilica of the Nativity—one of Christianity’s most cherished sites—the event allowed only brief symbolic gestures. A young girl from Gaza offered a small bouquet to Cardinal Arborelius, but journalists and the handful of local Catholics present were not permitted to enter the clinic itself, which remained encased in a glass structure throughout the ceremony.

For Palestinian leaders, the repurposed popemobile represents more than a medical resource. Dr. Ramzi Khoury, head of the Palestinian National Fund, described its arrival as a “path toward peace” and a sign of mutual respect between Christians and Muslims in the region.

The humanitarian need is overwhelming. According to Gaza’s authorities, more than 69,000 residents—over 20,000 of them children—have been killed since the start of Israel’s military campaign, with nearly 171,000 wounded. Despite the current ceasefire, fatalities continue to be reported daily.

Throughout the war, Pope Francis maintained close contact with the tiny Catholic community of Gaza, calling the parish priest of the Holy Family Church almost every day. His appeals for the protection of civilians became one of the most persistent refrains of his final months.

Now, the repurposed popemobile waits only for a border crossing to turn those appeals into action. Designed originally to carry a pope through crowds, it may soon carry medicine, hope and a measure of human dignity to children who have known little else but conflict.