In the Murmansk region, a priest suspected of killing a dog was banned from serving

The head of the Murmansk diocese, Metropolitan Mitrofan, removed the rector of the parish of the Assumption Church in the city of Apatity from performing divine services and from pastoral duties. He is suspected of killing a dog. Press secretary of the Metropolitan Pavel Kondratyev told RIA Novosti about this.

The Metropolitanate also decided to conduct its own investigation. It will be headed by the secretary of the diocesan administration, Archpriest Andrei Amelin.

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Murmansk region is conducting an inspection. Based on the results, the diocese will make a final decision regarding the suspect.

The KP-Murmansk newspaper wrote that on April 8, in front of children, a one-and-a-half-year-old dog, Frosya, was killed at the ski resort. The dog lived at the complex: at night he slept in the owner’s apartment, and spent the day on the slope. The owner of the animal contacted the police.

The ski resort doctor and cable car worker Ivan Vorontsov told the newspaper that they tracked through cameras who killed the dog. According to him, this was done by a priest who often rode on the mountain with his children. “We saw him get into the car and drive away. We talked to him later, we wanted to find out why he did it. He said that Frosya did not like him and his children and constantly barked at them. Our employee heard him say: “I will kill [Frosya],” noted Ivan.