MALTA: GOZO: FUNERAL OF SIAMESE TWIN MARY

(19 Jan 2001) English/Nat XFA During an emotional funeral service, Siamese twin Mary was buried at the cemetery in Xaghra on the Mediterranean island of Gozo. The twin's real name was Rosie, but she was known to the press as Mary in order to protect her identity. She died on November 7, after a grueling 20 hour operation to separate her from her sister Jodie. Mary's parents, Michaelangelo Attard, 44, and Rina, 29, watched on as three young boys carried Mary's tiny white coffin down 8th of September Avenue, Xaghra's main street. Hundreds of others watched the procession which ended at the Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Basilica, a church which is central to the local community. Nikol Cauchi, the Bishop of Gozo, led the service and said he would neither praise nor blame anyone for the operation which took the little girl's life - but saved her sister. Mary's parents initially didn't want the separation to take place, knowing Mary would die as a result, as this was against their Roman Catholic beliefs. During the ceremony, Rina read a passage from the book of St John. Mary and Jodie were born on August 8 last year. They had fused spines and were joined at the abdomen. Their arms and legs were joined. Both relied on the stronger twin's heart and lungs. The twin's parents had come to Manchester from Gozo for treatment... although they did not want doctors to separate their daughters, knowing that as a result of the operation, one of the two girls would die. But a ruling in London's Court of Appeal said the surgery must go ahead because both girls would die if an separation did not take place. This followed a legal battle with surgeons battling to separate the girls, while the twins' parents said only God should decide if the girls live or die. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...