A painful tragedy occurred during a prayer meeting with a Catholic priest in Ecuador that left all the faithful present stunned. Just as the priest was explaining the reality of life and death to the people, a large heavy cross hanging on the wall behind him suddenly collapsed on his head. The priest died in this accident. The incident happened when a prayer meeting going on in the church was being broadcast live on social media, due to which the entire heartbreaking incident was caught on camera.
The deceased priest has been identified as Father Patricio Alfredo Sanchez Molinari, the New York Post reported. He served as a priest at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The Archdiocese of Guayaquil said he lost his life in the tragedy on Saturday.
A painful tragedy happened during live broadcast
At the time of the incident, the priest was standing behind the altar (altar) and addressing the people present. He had no idea that the heavy cross hanging on the wall behind him was about to fall down. Meanwhile the cross suddenly came loose from the wall and hit him in the back of the head, causing the priest to fall to the ground and not be able to get up again.
As soon as this accident happened, there was a lot of chaos in the church premises and the people present started shouting in shock. Many people rushed to the priest’s aid and an ambulance was immediately called. Relief and rescue teams arrived at the scene, but the priest was pronounced dead, according to authorities. A video of the incident was recorded live streaming, though it was later removed from the platform.
A crucifix fell from the wall and struck Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari during Mass in Ecuador. He did not survive.
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A few moments before the accident, he was giving a sermon on death
The most poignant aspect of the incident was that moments before the accident, the priest was speaking on the subject of life and death. In his sermon he quoted the promises of Jesus Christ and told people not to waste their precious time just scrolling on mobile phones. Instead they should spend quality time with God and their relatives.
He said, “One day we all have to leave this world. Often the useless things we waste our time on are not as important as the time we spend with God.”
After delivering this sermon, the pastor started a special prayer. He was seeking God’s blessing for the devotees present there, when the cross collapsed on him. Thus, in an instant, the fervor of the prayer meeting turned into mourning.
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