Priest dies after cross statute falls on him during live-streamed mass

An Ecuadorian priest has died after a large wooden cross fell on him while he was celebrating a Mass that was being streamed live online.

Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, a Redemptorist priest serving at the Church of Perpetual Help in Guayaquil, Ecuador, was struck by the cross on Saturday, October 17, 2026.

The cross, which was mounted on the wall behind the altar, fell during the service, prompting alarm among congregants. Footage circulating online shows the moment the structure collapsed, with people inside the church heard reacting to the incident.

A woman can also be heard calling for an ambulance as those present respond to what happened.

The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed Sánchez Molinari’s death in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by Cardinal Archbishop Luis Cabrera Herrera.

The priest served at the Church of Perpetual Help in the archdiocese’s Central Vicariate.

“We inform you that our brother Fr. Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, CSsR, who served as parish priest of the Church of Perpetual Help, Central Vicariate, has departed to the House of the Father to enjoy His presence and His glory,” read the statement in part.

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The Archdiocese of Guayaquil joins in prayer for the eternal rest of his soul and expresses its solidarity, affection and love to the Redemptorist family, to his relatives and friends. Rest in peace.”

The archdiocese did not give further details about the circumstances surrounding the incident or explain why the cross fell.

The incident occurred during a Mass that was being broadcast online, allowing footage of the collapse to circulate on social media.

Sánchez Molinari regularly shared his services online, according to reports about the incident.

The footage has drawn attention to the accident, which unfolded during a religious service attended by members of the local Catholic community.

Sánchez Molinari belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Redemptorists, a Catholic religious order founded by St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori.

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