this post was submitted on 04 May 2025
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Before his death, Pope Francis made one final request: that his popemobile—the vehicle from which he once greeted crowds around the world—be transformed into a mobile health unit for the children of Gaza.

https://xcancel.com/DropSiteNews/status/1919109502655172631

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pope-franciss-popemobile-set-become-health-clinic-gaza-children-2025-05-04/

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[–] PoY@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 1 day ago

yeah aintreal will have no problem blowing that up just for fun

[–] gay_king_prince_charles@hexbear.net 84 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

It's a clever PR move — that will end up with Israel bombing it and tensioning relations with Catholic zionists. I wonder how the media will react when it gets destroyed.

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 44 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeah this is my thought exactly. This will INEVITABLY get blown up and it completely guarantees the catholic church (and its followers) supports gaza after his death because it'll be significant in catholic circles.

Unfortunately conservative Catholics are conservative first and Catholic second. Same goes for American Catholics.

[–] Evilphd666@hexbear.net 10 points 2 days ago

Saint Wick origin story....oh shit that's just Constantine isn't it?

[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 73 points 2 days ago (3 children)

It will most likely be bombed by Israel

[–] Parzivus@hexbear.net 57 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Will libs care about the popemobile more than the children/aid orgs that have already been bombed? Maybe yes?

[–] bad_news@lemmy.billiam.net 50 points 2 days ago

They bombed former GOP rep Justin Amash's christian family to death while they prayed in a UNESCO heritage site church and nobody gave a fuck. This will not move the needle. All neolibs are somewhere on a spectrum from Jewish supremacist who LIKES the genocide to sociopath who doesn't care.

[–] FunkyStuff@hexbear.net 30 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I suspect that's the smart thing about all this. There already are hundreds of aid vehicles. The point of turning the popemobile into another is to, in the best case scenario, have one that Israel is going to be very hesitant to bomb out of fear of alienating Christian zionists, or in the worst case deliberately setting out to create a visible and symbolically meaningful bad story for Israel when they can't hold themselves back from killing the aid workers in this thing. Maybe it's wishful thinking to expect people to pay attention after a year and a half of livestreamed genocide but it's a thought.

[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

How long did Vietnam last?

[–] FunkyStuff@hexbear.net 26 points 2 days ago (1 children)

From Tonkin to the fall of Saigon it was about 11 years, but I think there's definitely a lot of important differences between Vietnam and Gaza (namely the capacity for the indigenous population to fight back, and the scope of the war). Maybe a slightly better comparison would be to the East Timor genocide which lasted even longer (75 to 99 per wikipedia), but was much more frontloaded in the initial invasion with less intense genocidal tactics afterward.

I don't know how much media attention mattered in either case, though, as I understand it the role of the domestic antiwar protests in the US against the Vietnam war is largely overstated in relation to the highly effective Viet Minh fighting and morale loss in the south.

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

The domestic antiwar protesting caused the American military to seize up. The rank and file didn't support the war and the whole machine was incapable of being effective because of it. There was widespread go-slow or simply not doing the work occurring, as well as the obvious sabotage like fragging of officers.

I agree that it didn't achieve much politically, but I think we overlook the impact on the troops themselves.

[–] HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.one 25 points 2 days ago

I doubt it will even get to gaza. It will get to the border and then either turned away or shelled. No symbols or relief, Isreal is now hell.

[–] Fishroot@hexbear.net 46 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

"Once the humanity access is restored"

Drop the whole stockpile of Beretta that is locked in the Vatican to arm the resistance instead

[–] FlakesBongler@hexbear.net 43 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Send in the Swiss guard

Wanna see some IDF'ers take a halberd to the face

[–] Mardoniush@hexbear.net 22 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'm not sure I could cope with the Sabaton song.

[–] DefinitelyNotAPhone@hexbear.net 16 points 2 days ago

It would be entirely too catchy to ignore but just sus enough to never be caught humming it in public.

[–] Des@hexbear.net 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

i want them airlifted in. full regalia, including the hats, but also with body armor and modern tactical gear over top.

halbreds + SG 550s. be like something from Warhammer 40k

[–] Lyudmila@hexbear.net 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] Des@hexbear.net 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Chapter 42 of Hellsing.

ugh if only they didn't have the KKK hoods

[–] gay_king_prince_charles@hexbear.net 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] HexReplyBot@hexbear.net 1 points 1 day ago

I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:

[–] CrawlMarks@hexbear.net 43 points 2 days ago (2 children)

This in an uncommonly cool thing for a catholic official to do about children. Would have been more cool if he called for a crusade

[–] XiaCobolt@hexbear.net 27 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Francis was a land of contrasts, but he would phone the Palestinian Catholic Church in Gaza every ~~week~~ night to talk to their priest.

[–] FunkyStuff@hexbear.net 20 points 2 days ago

Every night, at least more recently.

[–] SerLava@hexbear.net 23 points 2 days ago (1 children)

certain extremely online guys would be so conflicted

[–] FunkyStuff@hexbear.net 18 points 2 days ago

Honestly, I've only met one right wing Catholic zionist and it's my Fox News American uncle. All the other tradcath or otherwise conservative/christofascist Catholics I've met are at worst neutral toward Israel. Granted, not for the right reasons.

[–] Sinisterium@hexbear.net 27 points 2 days ago (1 children)

He could have send a million catholics to blow up every military installation in israhell. Do better, the children of gaza deserve more.

I don't really think that would have been feasible. Half of all Catholics (American ones at least) become sedevactants as soon as the pope says something slightly to the left of Hitler. The Catholic Church really doesn't have the pull that it did in crusading days, nor does it have the experience or organization.

[–] SkingradGuard@hexbear.net 16 points 2 days ago

The pope was khamaaas

[–] dead@hexbear.net 47 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

This might be the most "orphan-crushing machine" article that I've ever read. At a time when the people of Gaza are on the brink of mass starvation. The latest Israel blockade on Gaza aid started on March 2, over 2 months ago. It says that the Vatican has given aid to Gaza in the past through an organization called Caritas Jerusalem. The pope giving his old car to Gaza seems cartoonish, at a peak moment in the genocide. It feels symbolic at best.

It's exactly like one of the articles which says like "6 year old sells lemonade to pay for their cancer treatment". It leaves you asking the question, "Why are we ignoring who created this situation? Why are they not being held accountable?"

[–] FunkyStuff@hexbear.net 46 points 2 days ago

Punished Francis final request: turn the Popemobile into a technical and give it to Hamas

[–] Mardoniush@hexbear.net 13 points 2 days ago

It is symbolic. It's not even a rounding error on the actual material and political support Francis provided (or tried to provide given the blockade) to Gaza. It's still not enough, he should have excommunicated Vance at the very least, but he was one of Gaza's biggest supporters.

[–] Infamousblt@hexbear.net 37 points 2 days ago

JD Vance killed the Pope because the Pope cared about Gaza even a little

[–] sewer_rat_420@hexbear.net 31 points 2 days ago

Its obviously symbolic, but also huge. Despite his other problematic stances, he will be most remembered for being against a genocide that everyone else in Europe/the west supported.

[–] D61@hexbear.net 30 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Somebody start a website that does nothing but wait for the Zionist entity's troops to blow this up.

[–] DinosaurThussy@hexbear.net 18 points 2 days ago

isthepopemobileblownupyet.com is available

[–] marxisthayaca@hexbear.net 19 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Say what you want about the Catholic Church. But Francis was a G.

[–] BountifulEggnog@hexbear.net 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] marxisthayaca@hexbear.net 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] BountifulEggnog@hexbear.net 13 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Would you say the same if he was bigoted in some other way?

[–] marxisthayaca@hexbear.net 3 points 1 day ago

He was bigoted or wrong in many other ways, so yes.

[–] Boynomoder@hexbear.net 14 points 2 days ago

That was nice of him

[–] CredibleBattery@hexbear.net 14 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

you should've gone with it if you actually wanted it to help, Francis

[–] TrustedFeline@hexbear.net 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Check out the movie Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite) to see why that would have been a bad idea

[–] CredibleBattery@hexbear.net 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Tropa de Elite

huh that's funny, you know that that movie inspired Max Payne 3?

[–] William_Nilliam@hexbear.net 5 points 2 days ago