The bidding prayers prepared and read out by President Emeritus Guido de Marco’s grandchildren were probably the most touching moments of the former President’s state funeral yesterday afternoon.
The prayer by one of his young nieces, who read in a clear, steady voice, certainly made everyone smile.
Another one of Prof. de Marco’s nephews said: “The last time nannu left hospital he was so happy to have joined us again. ‘Keep smiling’, he used to tell me whenever he saw that I was concerned about his health”.
The former President’s grandchildren prayed for their grandmother Violet and their family, while thanking God for the values their grandfather had taught them and the jokes they shared.
Two of Prof. de Marco’s grandchildren, Gianluca and Anjelica were also students of his at university.
“Do things properly but don’t take everything too seriously,” he used to tell them. Prof. de Marco taught his children and grandchildren the values of goodness, righteousness, justice, belief in themselves and in the country, and treating everyone with respect.
After the bidding prayers, Mrs de Marco and her three children, Mario, Giannella and Fiorella, made the offerings.
The funeral cortege was met with a round of applause as the AFM bearers carried the coffin into St John’s Co-Cathedral.
Prof. de Marco’s widow Violet, her children, and a few grandchildren, and Vince Camilleri, the former President’s security officer and driver for about 24 years, occupied the first seat at the right hand side of the cathedral.
Several bouquets of flowers carpeted the floor before the altar. Mr Camilleri was at the de Marco family’s aid till the end of the funeral, handing them flowers to carry during the cortege and collecting the booklets that the Office of the Prime Minister had published in remembrance of the late President.
President George Abela and Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, accompanied by their wives, led the congregation, seated on the left hand side of the cathedral.
The Kuwaiti Prime Minister, Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano, Speaker Michael Frendo and Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg sat on the first bench. Ministers, MPs, and ambassadors were among the many other distinguished guests. Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat and Imam Mohammed El Sadi, head of the Muslim Community in Malta, were also present.
President George Abela laid a wreath before the coffin as he walked into St John’s Co-Cathedral. Four soldiers, their heads tilted downwards, guarded the coffin throughout the Eucharistic celebration.
Prof. de Marco’s daughters Giannella and Fiorella, as well as his son, Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco, read the first and second readings from the Book of Knowledge and a Letter of St Paul to the Romans.
In his homily, Archbishop Paul Cremona, OP, observed the great respect that people have shown for Prof. de Marco and for what he achieved over the years.
He encouraged the congregation to thank God for the former President’s qualities – gifts he used for the benefit of his country and several other countries.
Archbishop Cremona explained that the funeral was a prayer before a person goes on to meet God and represented the change of relationship now that the former President will no longer be physically present.
Prof. de Marco was a convinced Catholic and so the funeral was also the completion of his Christianity and the passage that leads to a new life.
“Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life,” said Archbishop Cremona, explaining that those who want to meet the Father had to choose that path. This was the same road Prof. de Marco chose, being close to Jesus Christ.
Explaining the Holy Word, Archbishop Cremona said Prof. de Marco had combined his knowledge with God’s words, which gave him direction throughout his career as a lawyer, politician and President.
He always treated people equally and took an interest in each one of his students. Meanwhile, he believed people could change as he embarked on his “politics of persuasion”, Archbishop Cremona said, adding that Prof. de Marco always felt equally at ease with heads of state and the man in the street.
Prof. de Marco believed a lot in the value of communion and people. He shared his love with his wife Violet, children and grandchildren, Archbishop Cremona noted.
Sharing a personal experience, he said that Prof. de Marco was surrounded by his family when he was in an induced coma after suffering heart complications a week before he passed away.
This showed the quality of love Jesus Christ shared. Prof. de Marco’s love was reflected in his service to the nation, the world and the Catholic Church.
As pallbearers carried the coffin out of the cathedral, the congregation burst into another round of applause.
President Abela and Prime Minister Gonzi embraced Mrs de Marco on their way out of the church, while members of the clergy shook hands with the de Marco family members and personally expressed their condolences.