Reverend Patricio Alfredo Sanchez Molinari, a priest in Ecuador, died on Saturday after a crucifix fell on him during a livestreamed Mass. The Archdiocese of Guayaquil announced his death.
He was the parish priest at the Church of Perpetual Relief of the Central Vicariate, the archdiocese said, according to NBC News. The church is also called Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
What the video shows
Mass was livestreamed, but the video was later taken down. The video showed a large crucifix hanging on a wall behind Molinari suddenly falling forward onto the back of his head.
Molinari was behind the altar, facing the congregation, and did not see the crucifix falling behind him. He did not stand back up. Parishioners can be heard shrieking and crying on the video, and some rushed to help him.
According to La Vanguardia, citing El Heraldo de Mexico, he was leading the daily Mass, which was shown live from his own profile. The cross, which was fixed in the wall behind him, came loose and fell on him around the 27th minute of the broadcast.
Here is the video:
What the archdiocese said
{{/usCountry}}What the archdiocese said
{{/usCountry}}The archdiocese said in a news release that Molinari “has left to the House of the Father to enjoy his presence and glory,"
The archdiocese posted a notice on its social media accounts on the same day, signed by Cardinal Archbishop of Guayaquil Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera. The statement said Molinari “has passed away and gone to the House of the Father to enjoy His presence and glory.” It added that the archdiocese joins “in prayer for the eternal rest of his soul” and shared its solidarity, affection, and love “to the Redemptorist family, his relatives, and friends."
The official statement does not give the cause of death. It also does not say whether he died right away or after getting medical care.
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About Father Molinari and his order
Molinari belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori in 1732. The parish he led is named after a Marian devotion that is closely linked to the Redemptorists, as per La Vanguardia. In 1866, Blessed Pius IX gave them the care of the original icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which is honored in the Roman church of Saint Alphonsus, on the Via Merulana.