Mourners have heard how eight-month-old Indi Gregory “had the power to touch millions of people’s hearts around the world” during her funeral, held today at Nottingham Cathedral.
A message sent from the Vatican, on behalf of Pope Francis, was read to Indi’s loved ones during the service. The Pope said that he was saddened to learn of the baby girl’s death – adding that he sent “condolences and the assurance of his spiritual closeness” to her parents Dean and Claire, and all in mourning for the loss of Indi.
The Pope said he joined those gathered for her funeral for the gift of Indi’s “all too short life,” with the letter signed by the Italian Secretary of State.
The British baby died on the 13th November, after her life support was withdrawn, bringing an end to a legal fight which captured headlines in the international media.
The child passed away at a hospice after medical staff at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham said nothing more could be done for the child, who had mitochondrial disease – and had been in hospital since her birth.
Her parents had fought a high-profile legal battle against the NHS, arguing that Indi’s life support should have been maintained.
They also brought legal action with the hope that the baby could be transferred to a hospital in Rome for emergency specialist treatment, after she was granted Italian citizenship by Giorgia Meloni’s government.
On the day of the baby’s funeral, Italian Prime Minister Meloni wrote to Indi’s parents to express her condolences. She described Indi as a “little lioness,” adding that Italy was the child’s “second homeland.”
“From today, she will no longer be in your arms, and you will no longer be able to be enchanted by her smile, but Indi will live on, because, as Chiara Corbella Petrillo taught us, we are born and we shall never die,” Ms Meloni wrote in the letter, quoting the Italian mother, known for her brave battle with cancer, who is a candidate for Sainthood.
Ms Meloni said that the little girl lived “a short life, too short, but long enough for your daughter to remind people everywhere that every life, every single life, no matter how imperfect it may seem to the world, is a treasure to be cherished”.
“She let herself be loved and she loved. She brought light into the lives of those around her, filling your lives and those of so many others with meaning,” Ms Melono wrote.
Hundreds of people attended Indi’s funeral today, with mourners including pro-life campaigners, and a delegation from Italy, where Indi had been offered treatment at Rome’s Bambino Gesu Vatican hospital.
Bishop Patrick McKinney, Catholic Bishop of Birmingham, was the celebrant of the funeral Mass. He read a tribute written by Indi’s father Dean at the funeral, as mourners heard how his daughter “inspired love” amid a court battle which Dean Gregory likened to “being in hell.”
Dean Gregory, last month, spoke of his decision to have his baby daughter baptised – despite not being religious himself, telling Italian newspaper La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana that, while he was not baptised, he felt like he had been “dragged to hell” while in court, explaining: “I thought that if hell exists, then heaven must also exist.”
He added: “It was as if the devil was there. I thought that if the devil exists, then God must exist.”
Mr Gregory spoke of seeing a Christian volunteer, who came daily to the neonatal intensive care unit where Indi was cared for, and during those visits, the volunteer told him about baptism.
“I’ve seen what hell is like and I want Indi to go to heaven,” he said. His daughter was baptised on 22nd September, and he told the Italian publication that himself had also decided to be baptised.
During Friday’s funeral, the father of the little girl thanked the Italian government, its people, and Prime Minister, along with the “many people involved in Indi’s battle”, including the family’s lawyers and Christian Concern, who supported the family in court.
“The court system itself felt like being in hell to me – yet Indi was an eight-month-old baby that had the power to touch millions of people’s hearts around the world. She inspired love, and nowhere more than Italy. In fact, I’m sure Indi is as proud as I am for the amazing support and love shown by the Italian government, the Italian Prime Minister, and the Italian people.
“I honestly and truly feel, deep in my heart, that Indi was not only beautiful, but strong and unique. I just knew from the start she was very special,” mourners heard, in the statement which was read by Bishop McKinney on behalf of Dean.
“Nevertheless,” he said, “I could never have imagined the sort of journey we and Indi would have had to go through to fight for her life. She didn’t only have to battle against her health problems, she had to battle against a system that makes it almost impossible to win.
“Yet, it was her weakest point, her health problems, that distinguished Indi as a true warrior.”
He said the baby had overcome so much – including suffering seizures, two operations, sepsis, e coli, and other infections that “even a healthy child would struggle to beat.”
Those in attendance heard that “Indi’s determination to fight for a chance at life really inspired” her father, who added: “The strength she had for an eight-month-old child was really incredible – and this is one of the reasons I would have done anything for Indi to live, which was denied her. She had to fight to live from day one of her life.”
“I was even willing to go down into the pits of hell to fight and protect Indi, and in a way I did,” her father said.
Thanking the Italians for their support and intervention, he said:
“The court system itself felt like being in hell to me – yet Indi was an eight-month-old baby that had the power to touch millions of people’s hearts around the world. She inspired love, and nowhere more than Italy. In fact, I’m sure Indi is as proud as I am for the amazing support and love shown by the Italian government, the Italian prime minister, and the Italian people.
“I strongly believe they were Indi’s guardian angels during the legal battle to save her,” he said.
“I truly believe it has been a battle of good versus evil,” he wrote in the letter read to the packed church.
“I’ve now reached the conclusion that this was indeed Indi’s destiny. God put indi on this earth with the mission to expose the evil in the world,” he said.
“He chose her because she was strong and beautiful and special. But now this chapter of Indi’s destiny is over; her legacy, however, has only just begun.”
“I wanted to make sure Indi would be remembered forever, and she will live on in our hearts and through our voices.”
An Italian delegation flew to the UK to attend the funeral, with Italian lawyer Simone Pillon describing the little girl as a “princess.”
“Death does not have the last word. Where evil abounds, grace and life abound,” Pilon wrote in a post on social media. Mr Pillon took aim at what he described as “shameful and unjust,” referring to the UK High Court’s decision not to allow Indi to go to Italy for treatment.
“No more children removed from the world with shameful and unjust sentences,” Mr Pilllon wrote.
La morte non ha l'ultima parola. Là dove abbonda il male, sovrabbondano la grazia e la vita. Una liturgia solenne ha accompagnato #IndiGregory al Cielo.
Ora sta a noi raccogliere la sua eredità: mai più bambini tolti di mezzo con sentenze vergognose e ingiuste. pic.twitter.com/vBpUnafhW1— Simone Pillon (@SimoPillon) December 1, 2023
Bishop Patrick McKinney spoke of how mourners had much to learn from children, as he spoke of the family’s decision to have Indi baptised.
He said that the baptism gave the family “great comfort” – adding they were able to explain to their older daughter that Indi is now “in a very special place called Heaven, where she continues to be loved and cared for by Jesus, and all his angels and Saints.”
He recalled Indi as someone who “really wanted to live,” and was “a real fighter.” He spoke of Dean and Claire, Indi’s parents, “growing faith in God” – with her parents choosing the Scripture readings to mirror this.
“At only eight months old, Indi’s struggle for life, from her hospital crib here in Nottingham, touched the hearts of so many people here in the UK – and in many other parts of the world – especially in Italy, as did the example of her mum and dad in doing all that they possibly could to try and give her every chance to live,” he said.
He said the baby’s short life “serves to remind us of how precious life is – how precious every person is.”
“Indi reminds us of how precious is the dignity of every human being,” he said, “Whether a baby in the womb, someone very young, like baby Indi, or elderly, healthy or sick, big or small, that each person is of infinite value, and is to be respected as such. That’s a wonderful legacy of Indi’s short life on earth,” he said.
Alongside Christian Concern, representatives from March for Life UK were also in attendance at the funeral, describing it as “an honour” to be present.
“It was an honour this morning to attend the funeral of little Indi Gregory at Nottingham Cathedral who died at only 8 months. Indi caught the world’s attention as her parents, Dean and Claire, desperately fought for her to be allowed to travel to Italy to receive treatment for her mitochondrial condition but this was denied them,” the organisation said in a post on social media.
“This sad result is a reminder to us that when we don’t value life in the womb then life outside the womb is not safe either since this is the next progressive step,” it added.
It described the funeral as “infinitely moving,” adding: It was fitting [then] that Indi’s tiny coffin had arrived in a beautiful horse and carriage and departed in a stream of Rolls-Royces as crowds of press and mourners looked on.”
“Please keep the Gregory’s in your prayers at this difficult time,” the organisation asked.
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I cried a bit reading that..
It’s so sad. The dignity shown by that little baby’s parents while fighting with everything they had for their child.
God bless and comfort them in their loss. Well done to the Italian Government for their humanity and support..