GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — A Catholic priest was killed Saturday evening when a large wooden crucifix came loose from the wall behind the altar and fell on him as he celebrated a Mass that was being livestreamed, the Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed.
Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, 53, parish priest of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in the city’s Central Vicariate, was struck in the head about 27 minutes into the service, according to the archdiocese and Ecuadorian news reports. Parishioners rushed to the altar, and voices on the livestream could be heard calling for an ambulance. He died the same day.
Cardinal Luis Gerardo Cabrera, the archbishop of Guayaquil, confirmed the death in a statement Sunday. “Our dear Fr. Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, who served as parish priest of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in the Central Vicariate, has departed to the Father’s House,” the archdiocese said.
Sánchez Molinari was a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as the Redemptorists, and had previously served for several years as parish priest in Vinces, in Ecuador’s Los Ríos province, according to Ecuadorian news outlet Primicias. The archdiocese had congratulated him just one day earlier, on the anniversary of his ordination.
In a detail noted across Ecuadorian media, his final sermon reflected on the fleeting nature of life. “One day, all of us here will also die,” he told the congregation, urging them to spend their time with God and their families.
What caused the crucifix to come loose has not been determined. A memorial Mass was held Sunday night at the church.
Stills: the parish livestream, via social media.
WATCH: Priest killed by falling crucifix during livestreamed Mass in Ecuador — our full report is in the video below.
