A Catholic priest has died after a large wooden crucifix fell on his head during a Mass at a church in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in an incident captured on a livestream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The priest, identified as Patricio Alfredo S\u00e1nchez Molinari, died on Saturday at the Perpetuo Socorro Church in Guayaquil, according to a statement from the city\u2019s archdiocese published on Facebook on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Video of the incident shows S\u00e1nchez leading the religious service when a large wooden cross standing on the altar behind him suddenly falls. The crucifix strikes him on the head, prompting cries from members of the congregation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several people then rush towards the priest as the service is interrupted. The incident has drawn attention because the livestream captured the moment the cross fell during the ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to CNN affiliate Ecuavisa, S\u00e1nchez had been preparing to lead a wedding ceremony when the tragedy occurred. However, police had not publicly commented on the incident at the time of the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Archdiocese of Guayaquil later held a Eucharistic celebration in the priest\u2019s memory on Sunday. Cardinal Luis Cabrera, the archbishop of Guayaquil, led the service as members of the Catholic community gathered to mourn the deceased priest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In its statement, the archdiocese thanked people who had expressed condolences and offered prayers following S\u00e1nchez\u2019s death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are grateful for all of the condolences from around the world, and especially for your prayers for the eternal rest of the soul of Patricio S\u00e1nchez,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The incident has left members of the church community grieving the loss of a priest who died while carrying out his religious duties. Further details about the circumstances surrounding the accident and any subsequent investigation had not been made public in the report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Patricio Alfredo S\u00e1nchez Molinari, falling crucifix, livestreamed Mass, Ecuador priest death, Guayaquil church, Catholic Church news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[128,125,126,129,127,130],"class_list":["post-505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-catholic-church","tag-ecuador","tag-guayaquil","tag-livestreamed-mass","tag-priest-death","tag-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\n