A heavy wooden crucifix fell from a church wall and crushed a priest against the pulpit during a livestreamed Mass on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.
The Rev. Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari was leading an evening Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Guayaquil, Ecuador, when the cross came loose above him. The Archdiocese of Guayaquil announced his death. The service was going out live on his Facebook page, which has more than 4,600 followers.
“Father, Father! Call an ambulance!” people at the church could be heard shouting just before the broadcast cut out.
Struck From Behind the Altar
Sánchez Molinari was behind the altar, facing the congregation, as he delivered his sermon. The large cross hung on the wall above the altar, behind his back. He did not see it fall.
It struck the back of his head. He dropped to the floor the instant it hit him, and he did not get back up.
Worshippers shrieked and cried while the livestream kept running. Some rushed forward to tend to him. Then the stream went dark.
What caused the crucifix to come away from the wall is not clear.
A Eucharist Scheduled for Sunday Evening
Cardinal Archbishop Luis Cabrera Herrera said the priest “has departed to the House of the Father to enjoy His presence and His glory,” in the archdiocese’s announcement of the death.
The archdiocese asked for prayers for the repose of his soul. It sent its sympathy to his relatives, his friends and the Redemptorist order he belonged to.
A Eucharist in his memory was scheduled for the evening of Sunday, Oct. 18.
Sánchez Molinari was the parish priest of Our Lady of Perpetual Help church, in the Central Vicariate. Guayaquil, where the church stands, is a coastal city 265 kilometers (164 miles) southwest of Quito, Ecuador’s capital.
Several Years in the Vinces Parish
He belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, a Roman Catholic religious order founded in 1732. The order works in 80 countries.
For several years he served as parish priest of the Vinces community, in the San Lorenzo parish in Vinces, in the Los Ríos region. His work there included pastoral and missionary duties.
The San Lorenzo parish shared the news of his death in a social media message, saying he had served the Vinces community devotedly for several years and placing its hope in God’s love and mercy.
The livestream video was later taken down. Graphic footage of the accident spread across social media on Sunday, Oct. 18, and was carried widely by news outlets. Local authorities have not commented.
Two other priests of the Archdiocese of Guayaquil, Alfonso Aviles and Pedro Anzoategui, drowned while trying to rescue an altar boy.