Horrifying moment priest is crushed to death by falling crucifix while live streaming Catholic Mass in Ecuador

A Catholic priest's livestream captured the horrific moment he was fatally crushed by an enormous crucifix while leading a Mass.

The freak accident occurred on Saturday at the Nuestra Senora del Perpetuo Socorro Church in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city.  

Father Patricio Alfredo Sanchez Molinari was livestreaming Mass from his personal social media accounts. The cross fell about 27 minutes into the stream, which was abruptly cut short soon after. 

In the video, Sanchez Molinari can be seen standing at an altar with a cross bearing the figure of Jesus Christ high up on the wall behind him. 

The crucifix then suddenly came loose, tilted forward and fell straight down, directly onto the priest's head. 

Sanchez Molinari was knocked below the altar and out of frame. The livestream captured the sound of shocked parishioners shouting in agony and screaming for help. 

'Padre!' a woman could be heard repeatedly screaming. 'Call an ambulance!' she also said in Spanish. A few people could then be seen running towards the altar as they appeared to try to help the priest. 

Sanchez Molinari was identified and confirmed dead by the Archdiocese of Guayaquil on Sunday. 

'We announce that our dear Fr. Patricio Alfredo Sanchez Molinari, CSsR.—who served as parish priest of the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Perpetuo Socorro) in the Central Vicariate—has departed for the Father’s House to enjoy His presence and His glory,' the Archdiocese wrote in a statement on social media. 

The statement ended with the traditional Catholic Latin Prayer for the Dead: 'Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine. Et lux perpétua lúceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen.' 

It translates to: 'Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.' 

The archdiocese did not say what caused the crucifix to fall or whether there will be an investigation into how the accident happened. 

The statement likewise did not clarify whether Sanchez Molinari was killed instantly or died from his injuries later at the hospital. 

Sanchez Molinari was a priest in the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists. 

The Catholic congregation was founded by Italian Saint Alphonsus Liguori in 1732 and it generally serves poor and isolated communities. 

It has around 4,500 members, most of whom are priests, according to statistics published by the Vatican.

The official motto of the Redemptorists is taken from Psalm 130:7: 'With Him there is plentiful redemption.' 

Users on social media shared their heartbreak in the comments of the stream saved on Sanchez Molinari's page. The comments were all written in Spanish and have been translated. 

'What a loss. A great priest, a great friend. A true missionary of Christ,' one person said.

'I cannot believe it, Father—you have left us. You were an excellent, charitable priest. Rest now, Father; may God hold you in His holy glory,' a second wrote. 

'Such profound sadness—a great and unexpected loss. Those of us who knew him understand what an exceptional person has departed to be with God; he offered us so much guidance and many valuable lessons. Rest in peace,' said a third.