The Archbishop said the use of terms such as "termination of pregnancy" for abortion and "mercy-killing" for euthanasia were really cover-ups for the word murder.

Addressing a conference on a quality life for the unborn child, organised by the Gift of Life and the Malta branch of the Islamic Call Society, Mgr Cremona yesterday thanked the two organisations and praised Gift of Life for becoming the voice of those who did not have one.

Archbishop Cremona said that every person's life, from conception to death, was a fundamental value and had to be treasured and defended. Life comes from God and cannot be left to depend on the will of others, he said, stressing that the womb is a sanctuary of life, which is turned into a place of death and murder when an abortion is performed.

For Christians, abortion is not just a crime against human life but also against a son or daughter of God, he said.