A priest died during a mass in Guayaquil, Ecuador, after a large wooden cross broke away from its place behind the altar and fell on him. The incident occurred on Saturday, October 17, at the church of “Our Lady of Perpetual Help“.
Patricio Alfredo Sanchez Molinari was celebrating mass when the cross fell. The service was broadcast live on the Internet and the moment was captured on camera. Believers tried to help the priest immediately after the incident.
The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed his death in a statement signed by Cardinal Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera. “Our dear Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari has gone to the House of the Father“, the church said in a statement expressing solidarity with the Redemptorist community, the priest's family and friends.
The official statement did not specify the cause of death or whether the priest died on the spot or after receiving medical attention. According to the video and local media reports, the cross suddenly broke away from the wall or from the structure behind the altar. There is no official explanation for why it fell or how it was attached.
Sánchez Molinari was the parish priest of the church and a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. The news has sparked reactions among the faithful in Guayaquil, but the archdiocese has not yet announced when and where the funeral will take place.
Sources: eluniverso.com, lavanguardia.com, noticiasoromar.com