Catholic priest in Ecuador livestreams his own Mass. Then an enormous crucifix falls from the wall and fatally hits him

A Catholic priest stood at the altar of his church in Guayaquil, Ecuador, while livestreaming a Mass from his personal social media accounts, reports the Daily Mail. Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari read from a liturgical book as the service went on. Behind him, a large wooden crucifix hung high on the wall above a painted mural.

The crucifix suddenly came loose during the reading, according to reports. It tilted forward and fell straight down, striking him on the head and knocking him behind the altar and out of view. The fall reportedly took place about 27 minutes into the stream, which ended soon afterward.

People in the church reacted at once. A woman could be heard repeatedly shouting “Padre!” and calling out “Call an ambulance!” in Spanish, as reported in coverage of the livestream. Others appeared to run toward the altar to help while the camera shook.

Archdiocese confirms the priest’s death the day after the Mass

The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed on Sunday that Sánchez Molinari had died. In a statement on social media, the archdiocese said, “We announce that our dear Fr. Patricio Alfredo Sanchez Molinari, CSsR., who served as parish priest of the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Perpetuo Socorro) in the Central Vicariate, has departed for the Father’s House to enjoy His presence and His glory.”

The message ended with the Latin prayer “Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine. Et lux perpétua lúceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen.” Officials translated it as “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.” The archdiocese gave no information on what made the crucifix fall or whether it would look into the matter.

It also did not state whether the priest died right away or later from his injuries. A post on X from @Breaking911 noted that congregants tried to help but that he died from his injuries. The Mass took place at the Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro Church in Ecuador’s largest city. Moments from the pulpit regularly spread online, including one priest’s pulpit jab at Trump that left his congregation giggling.

Sánchez Molinari was a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, or the Redemptorists. The order was founded by Italian Saint Alphonsus Liguori in 1732 and generally serves poor and isolated communities. Vatican statistics put its membership at around 4,500, most of them priests. Its motto is taken from Psalm 130:7: “With Him there is plentiful redemption.”

Viewers on X who saw the video left comments on the post. One person expressed concern about others making light of the death and wondered about the lack of empathy, writing, “It’s disturbing & disgusting that people r joking about a man dying in such a way. I have to wonder those making jokes if their families would appreciate it if they died horrifically & people posted & made fun of it. This was tragic. What happened to empathy in this country?”

Another commenter who said they are not Catholic still described the event as awful and hoped for the priest’s place in heaven, stating, “Rest in piece, i am not a catholic but this is just awful, and i suspend my dislike for Catholicism and hope he is in heaven with Jesus now.” The Church’s views on the value of human life have also been in the headlines, with Pope Leo XIV declaring capital punishment inadmissible.

A different viewer compared the scene to a horror film and called it sad, writing, “This is like a horror movie! So sad.” One more person offered a prayer, saying, “May God give him safe passage to Heaven!”