The Fallen of the world wars - servicemen and civilians - were remembered this morning with the Remembrance Sunday wreath-laying ceremony held under glorious sunshine at the foot of the war memorial in Floriana.

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca led the tributes, accompanied by the prime minister, the leader of the opposition, the Speaker, the judiciary and the diplomatic corps.

Detachments of the Armed Forces of Malta, the Police, the Civil Protection Department and ex-servicemen - with gleaming medals on their chests - formed up on two sides of the memorial.

Servicemen wearing poppies and with rifles reversed, stood head bowed in mourning at the four corners. 

Before the wreath-laying ceremony, Archbishop Charles Scicluna led a Mass at St John's where he underlined the four pillars of peace: Truth, Justice, Charity and Freedom.

"The first pillar (truth) therefore encourages you to acknowledge each and every one’s rights and duty as citizens of the Republic, including the rights and duties of your own men and women members of the Armed Forces. This requires in the leadership of the Army a strong sense of the State at the service of the common good, Mgr Scicluna said.  

On justice, he added: "If you acknowledge rights and duties you are more able to respect the fundamental human rights of citizens, more able do your duty under the rule of law."

The archbishop urged servicemen to promote an environment of charity (love) among all ranks and avoiding cruel gossip that poisons morale.

"In the name of the people of our fair islands, I would like to thank you for your heroic work in civil protection, and for the part you play in humanitarian missions in the Mediterranean. This is indeed a generous witness to charity that is worthy of our praise and admiration," he said.

He said the question of freedom in the context of any army subject to military discipline was a delicate one.

"My prayer is that the leadership and the ranks will never be faced with the tragic choice between the call of duty and the demands of conscience. As to the relationship of the Armed Forces to us, ordinary citizens of the Republic, my prayer is that you will never be called by the powers that be to deny our freedoms by force or unjust violence. May we always find in you the keepers of our security, the defenders of our freedoms." 

(Read the homily in full on pdf below)