GUAYAQUIL — A Catholic priest died on Saturday night after a large wooden cross of Jesus fell on him during a Mass broadcast live from a church in Guayaquil.

The footage spread widely online over the weekend.

What Happened

Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, pastor of the Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro church, was presiding at Mass when a wooden cross bearing a figure of the crucified Christ detached from the wall behind the altar and struck him on the head.

The parish was streaming the Mass on Facebook, so worshippers and online viewers saw it happen live.

In the video, a woman can be heard calling for help: “Father, Father… call an ambulance!” Attendees tried to assist him immediately. Reports indicate that the priest died at the scene.

Minutes before the accident, he told the congregation, “one day, all of us here will also die,” an ominous foreboding immediately before the tragedy occurred.

Sánchez Molinari belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, founded in 1732. The order has been tied to the Perpetuo Socorro parish since 1866. His age has not been reported.

What the Church Said

The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed his death in a statement dated October 17, saying he had “departed to the Father’s house.”

It expressed solidarity with his religious community, relatives and friends but gave no details of the circumstances.