Priest dies after large cross falls on him during mass in Ecuador

A Catholic priest in Guayaquil, Ecuador, has died after a large wooden cross fell on him during a church service. The 53-year-old priest, Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, was leading a session at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help church when the heavy cross collapsed on him from behind. He died immediately at the scene.

Shortly before the accident, Father Sánchez Molinari had delivered a sermon discussing the inevitability of death and the importance of spending time with family and God rather than on electronic devices. The cause of the cross's collapse remains unknown. The local diocese and Cardinal Luis Cabrera have expressed their condolences and held a memorial service for the late priest.