Young MP walks on
"Have a good time in heaven... He was the best father"
The symbols of Karl Chircop's passions in life - a Liverpool FC scarf, a stethoscope and the robe he wore every Good Friday procession to carry the crucifix - were yesterday presented as offerings during his funeral Mass.
His wife Adriana and children Jan, Francesca, Christian and Keith, offered their dearest's favourite belongings on a silver tray with the traditional offerings.
"You were the greatest gentleman I knew. You were fun to be with. You'll be sorely missed and never forgotten... You'll never walk alone," Francesca told her father, as she tried to put a brave face on tragedy during the bidding prayers.
The youngest son, Keith, added his message after his siblings, in a low mumble said: "Have a good time in heaven... He was the best father."
The 43-year-old family doctor died in a London hospital last Sunday when the machines that were keeping him alive, after he fell into a coma following cerebral haemorrhage on August 3, were switched off.
Dr Chircop's organs will be living in three other people, redeeming his inner traits to help people throughout his life, right until the very end.
Thousands lined the streets of Paola and packed the Christ the King parish church to pay their last respects to the likeable Labour MP who warmed hearts with his ready smile and charisma.
Before heading to Paola the funeral cortege stopped by the Labour Party headquarters in Ħamrun, where his colleagues observed a moment of silence and Winter Moods' frontman Ivan Grech sang the band's touching song, Marigold.
Dr Chircop's coffin was carried by relatives and friends, through the sea of people dressed in black, all the way from the prison, past the party club where a banner draped the façade with the words, "In our hearts and minds forever", and on to the church.
When the cortege entered, rapturous applause drowned out the music by the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, as the coffin was laid at the foot of the altar, which was perfumed with a carpet of flowers.
Mass was celebrated by Mgr Victor Grech, a personal friend of the Chircop family, who was flanked by Paola parish priest Vinċenz Cachia and Fr Charles Cordina, as well as the parish priests from the six districts which Dr Chricop contested at the last general election.
President Eddie Fenech Adami, Speaker Louis Galea, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Labour leader Joseph Muscat, Auxiliary Bishop Annetto Depasquale, Gozo Bishop Mario Grech, Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mercieca and MPs were among those who packed the church.
"We prayed, we hoped, we waited with bated breath whenever there was a slight improvement... in the end we lost. But our loss is his gain," Mgr Grech said during the homily.
Speaking about a man who had touched him with his values and integrity, Mgr Grech said a man's worth could not be calculated from the number of years he lived, but from his vision in life.
"Karl, in his short life, 18 years as a doctor and 12 years as an MP, offered us a Christian model, serving people with the motto he had chosen at the start of his career as a doctor - always there for you," he said.
Wiping away a tear as he concluded the homily, Mgr Grech recalled the conservations he had with Dr Chricop, and how the man's genuine spirit, sincerity and sense of social justice always shone through.
When Mass ended, Dr Chircop's coffin was carried out to loud applause and the anthem of his favourite football team, Liverpool, You'll Never Walk Alone.