The first funeral of the two New Year’s Day stabbing deaths that shook the nation was held in a packed church yesterday as Nicholas Gera was laid to rest on the eve of his 27th birthday.

In the midst of the mystery, so much injustice and suffering, if we can offer forgiveness and love to each other, then all is not lost

From the pulpit of St Gregory parish church, Sliema, close to Mr Gera’s home in Blanche Huber Street, Fr Savio Vella told the congregation the family had been robbed of “precious silence”, vitally needed when faced with the reality of death, by the “insatiable curiosity and uncontrollable speculation” of others.

Mr Gera died in tragic and mysterious circumstances, bleeding to death in a penthouse in High Street after suffering over 10 knife wounds and cuts.

Duncan Zammit, who lived in the property where the violent fight broke out, withstood almost 30 before succumbing to his injuries. His funeral will be held on Saturday morning at Ġesu Nazzarenu parish church in Sliema.

Everyone was “overwhelmed by so many unanswered questions regarding the death of two young men in the prime of their lives”, Fr Savio said in his first reference to the other stabbing victim.

He later mentioned him by name, speaking about “God’s immense love for us all, not least Nicholas and Duncan”.

Sending out a message of hope and consolation to Mr Gera’s adoptive mother, Tanya, his three remaining brothers and the many crowding the pews in solidarity with the family, Fr Savio said: “Let the love for Nicholas be a reminder for us all that God loves us in our fragility and nothingness…”

They had shared so many “beautiful moments with Nicholas and now they need to experience silence”, he said, highlighting their heavy heart as they withstood “the emptiness of a sudden death that could not be understood”.

“In the midst of the mystery, so much injustice and suffering, if we can offer forgiveness and love to each other, then all is not lost.”

Looking back at Mr Gera’s past – the Bosnian boy who was adopted by his Maltese mother 15 years ago at the age of 11 – Fr Savio said he had gone through childhood in the ravages of war.

“So young and helpless, he experienced the fear and emptiness of loneliness, caused by the greed of power and racial discrimination. He had experienced the inner death caused by the hatred between fellow countrymen…”

But, Fr Savio continued, Mr Gera had also found love through the heart of a simple person, his Maltese mother, who knew when to forget her comfort zone and answer her call to reach out to others in need, in this case, five brothers.

Reference to mystery was often made in the homily, with Fr Savio saying the “greatest life-giving mystery lies in the unconditional love God has for everyone, no matter the dark moments we experience in our lives”.

He said: “Jesus did not come to judge us, He came to save us from the mystery of death.”

Outside the church, members of the congregation criticised the presence of television cameras – the media has been closely following the case that has captured the public’s attention – as they sought to console the distraught family and, in particular, Mrs Gera.

Given the circumstances of the deaths, plainclothes police officers could be seen taking photographs outside the church as the macabre crime continues to be investigated and new twists continue to emerge as to what exactly happened – and why – on that fateful night in the heart of silent Sliema.

Additional reporting by Kurt Sansone.

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