Crucifix Collapse Kills Priest During Livestreamed Mass in Ecuador

Crucifix Collapse Kills Priest During Livestreamed Mass in Ecuador

By Paul V. Young – TheNATIONWEEK.com | October 20, 2026

BRISBANE, Australia – A Catholic priest, Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, tragically died in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on Saturday night after a heavy wooden crucifix detached from the wall and struck him during a livestreamed Mass. The incident, captured on video at Perpetuo Socorro Church, showed the cross plummeting from behind the altar, striking Molinari and immediately removing him from public view.

Worshipers attending the online broadcast Mass were heard on video crying out, “Father, Father! Call an ambulance!” in desperate pleas for help.

The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed Molinari’s death the following day, announcing on social media, “Our dear Fr. Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari… has passed away and is now at the House of the Father.”

In a poignant detail, a social media follower shared Molinari’s final sermon, delivered just minutes before his death. The follower cautioned against attributing the “tragic accident” to divine intervention, instead pointing to a “poorly installed wooden cross” as the direct cause. Molinari’s last words, quoted by the follower, urged his congregation to prioritize: “‘Dear brothers, one day, all of us who are here will also die… and sometimes the time we have spent on other things doesn’t make as much sense as the time we spend on God. The quality time we give to God, to our brothers, to our spouse, to our children, to our family… that time is the best spent.'”

Father Molinari, 53, was a member of the Redemptorists (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer), a Roman Catholic religious order founded in 1732. Before his service at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Guayaquil, he ministered for years at San Lorenzo Parish in Vinces.

Authorities have yet to issue a statement regarding the incident or any potential investigation into the crucifix’s installation.

The Redemptorist Order: A Legacy of Service

Father Sánchez Molinari belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (CSsR), known as the Redemptorists. Founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori in Italy on November 9, 1732, the order’s mission centers on serving the poor and marginalized. Active in over 80 countries, the Redemptorists were entrusted by Pope Pius IX in 1866 to promote the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a devotion reflected in the name of Father Molinari’s parish. Their motto, “Copiosa Apud Eum Redemptio,” translates to “With Him there is Plentiful Redemption.” The circumstances of Father Molinari’s death cast a somber shadow over this legacy of faith and service.

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