PRIEST KILLED BY FALLING CRUCIFIX DURING LIVESTREAMED MASS
Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, a parish priest in Guayaquil, Ecuador, died on October 17, 2026, when a large crucifix fell off the wall behind him and struck him during a livestreamed Mass. The falling crucifix hit the back of his head while he stood facing the congregation, and the cameras recorded it, NBC News reported.
The Mass was being held at Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro Church. Sánchez Molinari was behind the altar and did not see the crucifix coming. NBC News, which reviewed the video, said it showed the wooden cross tipping forward from the wall and landing on him.
IBTimes UK reported it happened about 27 minutes into the broadcast. He did not get back up.
Parishioners could be heard screaming and crying on the recording, and some ran to help him. First responders came to the scene, but he was declared dead that day, the New York Post reported. The video has since been taken down, according to NBC News.
Moments earlier, he had been preaching about death. The Post quoted him telling the congregation: “One day, all of us here will also die, and sometimes the time we’ve spent on things doesn’t have as much meaning as the time we spend with God.”
He went on to talk about “the quality time we give to God, to our brothers and sisters, to our husbands, wives, children, and family,” calling that the time best spent.
The Archdiocese of Guayaquil announced his death and named him as parish priest of Perpetuo Socorro in the Central Vicariate. “We announce that our beloved Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, who served as parish priest of the Perpetual Help church in the Central Vicariate, has departed to the Father’s House to enjoy His presence and His glory,” the archdiocese said. Cardinal Archbishop Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera confirmed the death, the Post reported.
Teleamazonas reported the archdiocese also expressed solidarity with his family and friends. In a later statement quoted by BBC News Mundo, the archdiocese thanked people for the messages of condolence that arrived from around the world and asked for prayers for the eternal rest of his soul.
A Redemptorist from Cuenca
Sánchez Molinari belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as the Redemptorists, according to El Correo. Teleamazonas described him as originally from Cuenca. He had earlier served for several years at San Lorenzo Parish in Vinces, in Los Ríos province, where parish leaders mourned him, the Post reported.
The community held a wake and Mass for him at the church where he died on October 18, 2026, Teleamazonas reported. BBC News Mundo said Cardinal Cabrera led a memorial Mass at the church.
La Hora reported that his remains were taken to Cuenca on October 19, 2026, with burial planned for October 20, 2026, at Camposanto Santa Ana.
The same outlet reported on October 19, 2026, that the Archdiocese of Guayaquil was waiting on a specialized technical report to determine why the crucifix came loose from the wall.
