A terrifying moment inside a Colombian church has gone viral after a priest was struck by a large cross, just days after another priest was killed when a similar religious structure fell on him during Mass in Ecuador.
Struck his head
The Colombian priest, Óscar Echeverri, survived the frightening incident and did not suffer serious injuries.
The entire moment was captured on video as he approached the cross to adjust its position while recording content for his social media.
According to the footage, Echeverri grabbed the cross near its base with both hands. But the heavy structure suddenly gave way and came crashing down on him.
The cross struck his head, but the impact was not direct. Echeverri fell to the ground before quickly getting back up and moving the cross out of the way.
A few seconds later, he approached the camera, appearing visibly surprised by what had just happened. He then lifted the cross and placed it back where it had been.
The video quickly spread across social media, with viewers pointing to the eerie similarity to a tragedy that had occurred just days earlier in Ecuador.
That earlier incident claimed the life of 52-year-old Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari.
On October 17, 2026, Sánchez Molinari was celebrating Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Guayaquil when a large wooden cross suddenly broke loose from the wall behind him and fell.
The Mass was being livestreamed, meaning the horrifying accident was caught on camera. Parishioners immediately rushed to help the priest, with one woman heard shouting, “Call an ambulance! Father, Father!”
Sánchez Molinari died from the severity of his injuries.
The tragedy came only minutes after he had delivered a sermon reflecting on mortality and the importance of making room for faith and family rather than becoming consumed by material things.
“Dear brothers and sisters, all of us here are also going to die,” he told those gathered during his homily.
“That mark must always be present, because it is God’s.”
Shortly after the sermon ended, he returned to the altar. Moments later, the wooden structure behind him detached and fell.
The devastating incident shocked the local community and drew attention far beyond Ecuador.
Then, days later, footage emerged from Colombia showing another priest being struck by a falling cross.
The outcomes could hardly have been more different.
While Sánchez Molinari lost his life in the Ecuador tragedy, Echeverri was able to stand up almost immediately after being hit and walk away without serious injury.
After surviving the frightening encounter, Echeverri later wrote on social media:
“The date, the cause and the place where we are meant to die, those are what they are and no others.”
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