Ecuador priest dies after crucifix falls during livestreamed Mass
What's new: Church officials had not explained by Sunday why the large wooden crucifix collapsed onto the altar in Guayaquil.
A Catholic priest in Ecuador died after a large wooden crucifix fell from behind the altar and struck him during a livestreamed Mass in Guayaquil on Oct. 17. Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari was preparing Communion at Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro Church when the cross toppled forward, sending parishioners rushing to help and shouting for an ambulance, video of the service showed. The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed his death the same day and identified him as the parish priest in its Central Vicariate. Sánchez Molinari belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, or Redemptorists, and had previously served at San Lorenzo Parish in Vinces. The cause of the collapse was still unclear Sunday.