Priests serve funeral service for YouTuber Kika Djukic after all, Church grants family's plea
Kristina passed away at the age of 22
A committal service for the late Kristina Kika Djukic started at 13:40 at the Lesce cemetery in Belgrade, although there had been speculation about weather that would happen.
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The reason is that it is not yet known if the young woman took her own life or passed away due to some other circumstance.
A few days before the funeral, the mother of the young influencer stressed that the family wanted to bury her according to the customs of the Serbian Orthodox Church, with a service to be served by a priest. According to the family, the priest did not want to hold the service because of suspicion that the young woman killed herself.
Suicide is a mortal sin
What are the rules of the Serbian Orthodox Church on that issue?
As a priest told Telegraf.rs earlier, the Serbian Orthodox Church does not provide funeral committal service for suicides because suicide is a mortal sin, and repentance of that act is impossible, unlike in the case of somebody taking the life of another person, who can then repent.
A committal service is not served even for children who take their own life or for unbaptized children.
Many YouTubers and influencers showed up for Kika's funeral, and also children from elementary schools.
There are exceptions
However, if it the suicide victim suffered from a mental disease, and there are documents that prove they received treatment, these papers are sent to the Church court which decides. In such cases, a committal service can be approved, Telegraf.rs was told earlier.
The Orthodox Theological Faculty explained that a service is also held in cases when suicide was not committed willingly, but out of necessity. However, there are cases when people who died by suicide can still have a committal service but that must be approved by the patriarch, the Belgrade media reported.
"Families of suicides send a request to the parish priest, who then forwards it to the Patriarchate. If the patriarch approves it, a committal service for the forgiveness of sins is read. This is usually approved in cases of young people who take their own life," the media report.
(Telegraf.rs)