A priest in Ecuador has died after being crushed by a giant altar cross during a Catholic Holy Mass in Guayaquil. Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez was leading the service at the Perpetuo Socorro Church on the evening of October 17 when the crucifix broke off the wall and fell on him.
Cross falls during livestream
The cross fell about 27 minutes into a livestream of the Mass that Father Sánchez had been sharing on his Facebook. Footage from the stream showed church officials screaming as he lay on the altar table.
Only minutes before the incident, Father Sánchez delivered a sermon, known as a homily, on death, according to local news outlet TN.
Sermon on death
'Dear brothers, one day, all of us who are here are going to die,' he told church-goers. 'Sometimes the time we have used on other things does not have as much meaning as the time we use in God.'
He added: 'That quality time we give to God, to our brothers and sisters, to our family, is the best time spent.'
Church closed after incident
A wedding had been scheduled to take place at the church following the ceremony, church-goers told ecuavisatv. The church doors were shut while forensic teams removed the body.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed Father Sánchez's death in an Instagram post. Father Sánchez Molinari, 'who served as parish priest of the Perpetual Help church in the Central Vicariate, has gone to the Father's House to enjoy His presence and glory', it said.
'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, his relatives and friends.'
The Archdiocese did not confirm if the priest died immediately. The cause of the cross falling is unclear and the police have not launched an investigation. Father Sánchez belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.
