Priest in Ecuador dies after crucifix falls during livestreamed Mass
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Redemptorist Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, 53, died Oct. 17 after a large crucifix fell and struck him during Mass in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
The Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church was being livestreamed, and the parish later took the video down.
The Archdiocese of Guayaquil says it is waiting for a technical report, and no cause has been publicly established.
A memorial Mass was held Oct. 18, and burial is set for Oct. 20 in his hometown of Cuenca.
A Catholic priest in Ecuador died Saturday, Oct. 17, after a large crucifix fell from the wall behind the altar and struck him while he was celebrating Mass, church officials and news reports said.
Redemptorist Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, 53, was standing behind the altar at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, when the crucifix tipped forward and hit him on the head, OSV News reported. He was facing the congregation and did not see it fall, according to NBC News. Parishioners rushed to help him.
The Mass was being livestreamed. The parish later took down the original video, OSV News reported.
Cause not yet known
The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed his death on Oct. 17. As of Monday, Oct. 19, the reason the crucifix came loose had not been publicly established, and the archdiocese said it was waiting for a technical report from specialists, the Ecuadorian news site Primicias reported. The archdiocese said it would update the case once that report is in, and that its parishes maintain their churches with help from a technical department.
Remembered and laid to rest
A memorial Mass was celebrated Oct. 18 at the same church. Father Sánchez had served as pastor at San Lorenzo de Vinces Parish, which said in a post that the Redemptorist family joined "in prayer for the eternal rest of his soul," according to OSV News.
His remains were taken Monday to Cuenca, his hometown, where a memorial service was planned for Monday evening and burial is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Camposanto Santa Ana, Primicias reported. He had recently marked 21 years as a priest.
Sources
Associated Press: Catholic priest killed by falling cross during Mass in Ecuador
NBC News: Priest in Ecuador dies after crucifix falls on him during livestreamed Mass (Oct. 18, 2026)
OSV News: Priest in Ecuador, 53, struck and killed by falling crucifix during Mass, by David Agren
Primicias: Arquidiócesis de Guayaquil espera informe técnico sobre la cruz (Oct. 19, 2026), by Gonzalo Herrera
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