ROME -- Senior representatives from the military, Christian, Jewish and Muslim establishments and Commonwealth Embassies gathered to mark Remembrance Day 2013.

 The proceedings at the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in Testaccio commemorating the lives of the war dead were conducted by priests and ministers including Fr. Jonathan Boardman of the Anglican All Saints Church in Rome. The ceremony began with a reading of John McCrae’s WW1 poem ‘In Flanders Field,’ recalling that this year’s Remembrance Day also marks the 95th anniversary of the WW1 armistice.

  A two minute silence was then observed, followed by the tradition of laying red poppy wreaths by officials from Commonwealth embassies to honour all the countries that served during the wars. After each embassy had laid its wreath, three others were placed by a delegate of the Commonwealth-Italian Joint Committee, a member of the Italian Ministry of Defence and the final one by Group Capt. Patrick O’Donnell from the NATO base in Naples.

A moving act to unite world faiths took place, beginning with a reading of the Jewish scripture followed by an extract of the Revelation to John by Fr. John Fitzpatrick from the Basilica of San Silvestro, the main Roman Catholic English Church in the centre of the Eternal City. Rahman Mohammed of the Islamic Cultural Centre in Rome then read from the Koran and this section was ended with a reading of a Buddhist verse.

  After the ceremony, the majority of attendees came together for a reception at the British Ambassador to Italy, Christopher Prentice's, official Residence at the Villa Wolkonsky, where the American Ambassador was also present.

  Despite wet weather the ceremony was a poignant service to remember the lives of the fallen soldiers and all those who suffered during the two world wars.

 In January the Allied war dead will be commemorated further on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Anzio and then later in the year on the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino with ceremonies recalling the Polish soldiers who carried out the final assault as well as the gallant British, French, Indian, Nepalese and New Zealand soldiers.

  jp-sw