Branden MorganHost
So we'll start where we always do, with the creepiest thing I heard this week.

There are certain deaths so bizarre, so spectacularly improbable, that you almost expect to discover that they were invented by a particularly cynical screenwriter with an unhealthy appreciation for religious irony.

Unfortunately, the story coming out of Ecuador this weekend is entirely real, and its circumstances are as disturbing as they are difficult to comprehend.


The service was being live-streamed, allowing parishioners unable to attend in person to participate in the familiar rituals of Catholic worship.

Approximately 27 minutes into the ceremony, as the priest stood near the altar, an enormous wooden crucifix mounted on the wall behind him suddenly detached from its supports.

Without warning, the massive religious symbol fell forward, striking Father Sanchez directly on his head.

The priest collapsed, horrified congregants screamed and rushed to his assistance, while the live stream continued broadcasting the unfolding tragedy.

The Archdiocese of Guayaquil subsequently confirmed his death and expressed condolences to his family, parishioners, and fellow members of the Redemptorist religious order.

And while I certainly have no intention of making light of a man's tragic death, the circumstances present a theological paradox that would have fascinated Edgar Allan Poe and probably inspired several uncomfortable questions from the late, great Christopher Hitchens.

A priest standing inside a church performing the sacred rituals of his faith, killed by the very symbol of the religion to which he had devoted his life.

So we'll start where we always do, with the creepiest thing I heard this week.

There are certain deaths so bizarre, so spectacularly improbable, that you almost expect to discover that they were invented by a particularly cynical screenwriter with an unhealthy appreciation for religious irony.

Unfortunately, the story coming out of Ecuador this weekend is entirely real, and its circumstances are as disturbing as they are difficult to comprehend.


The service was being live-streamed, allowing parishioners unable to attend in person to participate in the familiar rituals of Catholic worship.

Approximately 27 minutes into the ceremony, as the priest stood near the altar, an enormous wooden crucifix mounted on the wall behind him suddenly detached from its supports.

Without warning, the massive religious symbol fell forward, striking Father Sanchez directly on his head.

The priest collapsed, horrified congregants screamed and rushed to his assistance, while the live stream continued broadcasting the unfolding tragedy.

The Archdiocese of Guayaquil subsequently confirmed his death and expressed condolences to his family, parishioners, and fellow members of the Redemptorist religious order.

And while I certainly have no intention of making light of a man's tragic death, the circumstances present a theological paradox that would have fascinated Edgar Allan Poe and probably inspired several uncomfortable questions from the late, great Christopher Hitchens.

A priest standing inside a church performing the sacred rituals of his faith, killed by the very symbol of the religion to which he had devoted his life.
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