By Kostas Onisenko
A priest from the Rostov-on-Don region and head of the department for communication with the armed forces of the local Metropolis, Andrei Nemykin, committed suicide last week, according to the spokesperson of the Metropolis, Igor Petrovsky, as reported by RIA news agency.
His wife found his body in his house. According to the spokesperson, the priest was experiencing severe back pain and was having difficulty moving.
Neminik was born in 1965 and was serving as a priest since 1992. Prior to that, he had taken part in the Chechen war. He had been wounded and later awarded a medal by the Russian State. He was a priest at the local Church of Saint Dmitry Donskoy.
“Unfortunately, it is a big mistake and a tragedy because they cannot offer him the death rites due to suicide. Since ancient times, church rules have been particularly strict with suicides. They consider it not only a deadly but an unforgivable sin,” Petrovsky said.
