Funeral for conjoined twin Mary
The funeral of conjoined twin Mary who died during an operation to separate her from her sister Jodie is taking place near the family's home on a Maltese island.
Ecclesiasticos Sultana, arch priest of the island of Gozo, said the service would be held at the local church, the Nativity of our Blessed Virgin.
Surviving twin Jodie is still being cared for at St Mary's Hospital, Manchester.
Earlier this week Mary's parents Michaelangelo Attard, 44, and his wife Rina, 29, left Jodie's bedside to return home for the funeral.
The conjoined babies were born at St Mary's Hospital last August and separated after a legal battle between medics and the parents.
Mr and Mrs Attard, who are devout Catholics, opposed the operation which inevitably led to the death of Mary, the weaker twin.
The couple came to Manchester because of the hospital team's previous experience with conjoined twins.
After the birth of the girls, surgeons were forced to go to the High Court in London to win the right to operate and save Jodie against the wishes of the parents.
Mr and Mrs Attard, whose identities were initially protected, had objected to the operation because they believed that their daughter's fate should be left in the hands of God.
Last September they challenged the decision in a privately-funded appeal which was denied after agonising deliberations by three judges. An 11th hour appeal was launched by the ProLife Alliance but also failed.
