Nagpur: Suicide of a married couple underscores challenge of hope

In Maharashtra, the gesture of a Catholic couple who, because of financial problems, took their own lives on the day of their wedding anniversary wearing their wedding dress, has caused a stir. Fr. Jose Kurian told AsiaNews: ‘A story that in this Jubilee of Hope challenges us to be close to those who experience dismay in their lives’.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The gesture of a Catholic couple in Nagpur, in the State of Maharashtra, who celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary with friends and relatives and then took their own lives wearing their wedding clothes, has made a deep impression in India.

Jeril Damson Oscar Moncriff, 57, was found hanged in the kitchen while his wife, Anne, 46, lay motionless in her wedding dress on a bed in the living room. According to preliminary investigations, the couple - who had no children - were experiencing financial difficulties.

Police said the couple recorded a video with their mobile phone before making the extreme gesture, posted it on social media and sent it to relatives. ‘Probably,’ reads the report drafted by the Nagpur officers, ‘the man allowed his wife to end her life first.

After freeing her body from the rope, he covered her with a cloth and put flowers on her before hanging himself with a scarf'.Jeril had worked as a chef in several luxury hotels before losing his job to the Covid-19 pandemic, while Anee was a housewife.

The story deeply shocked the local Catholic community. Fr Jose Kurian, pastor of the Syro-Malabar Church of St. Jude in Nagpur, commented to AsiaNews: ‘Life is a gift from God and no one has the right to take it away. The Church always upholds and defends the dignity of life. So every case of suicide is a sad and unfortunate for the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it as a gesture ‘gravely contrary to right self-love’ and an offence also ‘to love of neighbour because it unjustly breaks the bonds of solidarity with the family, national and human society, to which we have obligations’.

But the Church does not judge people who have taken their own lives. And the Catechism itself states ‘One should not despair of the eternal salvation of people who have given themselves to death. God, through the ways He alone knows, can prepare for them the occasion of a salutary repentance. The Church prays for people who have made an attempt on their lives‘’.

‘In 2025, the Jubilee Year of Hope,’ adds Fr Kurian, ’the Church is also called to be close to the people who are experiencing dismay in their lives. Meetings for specific groups could be promoted through which we could discover people who might need mental and spiritual support and then organise professional help. Setting up teams of people selected and properly trained to deal with mental health problems would be a great sign of hope for our communities'.