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Priest in Ecuador dies after crucifix falls on him during livestreamed Mass

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 11 outlets, mostly right-leaning (64%).

13 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Priest in white vestment and green stole speaking at a microphone beside a painted church mural with crucifix.
Image via New York PostHow images are chosenReport this image

Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, parish priest of the Perpetuo Socorro church in Guayaquil, Ecuador, died after a large wooden crucifix fell on him during a livestreamed Mass. The livestream was broadcast online, and CBS News reports that people in the church can be heard calling for an ambulance just before the broadcast cuts out. The New York Post and The Daily Wire report that in his sermon he urged worshippers to spend their time with God and loved ones rather than on their phones. The Daily Caller reports that the cause of the fall remained unknown.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. A falling crucifix struck the Rev. Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari during a livestreamed Mass at the Perpetuo Socorro church in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and he died.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left3Right3Far Right4See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Left
    NBC News, CBS News, The New York Times
    Right
    The Washington Times, New York Post, Daily Mail
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller, Fox News, The Daily Wire, Breitbart News

  2. Parishioners could be heard screaming for help and calling for an ambulance during the broadcast.

    Reported byLeft1Right2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News
    Right
    New York Post, Daily Mail
    Far Right
    The Daily Wire

  3. Reports say the priest was giving a sermon on the fleeting nature of life and urged worshippers to spend time with God and loved ones rather than on their phones.

    Reported byFar Left1Right1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    The Daily Wire, Breitbart News

  4. Video of the service has circulated on social media.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Daily Mail
    Far Right
    Fox News, The Daily Wire

  5. The Daily Caller reports that the cause of the fall remained unknown.

    One outletThe Daily Caller· Far Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that a falling crucifix killed Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari during a livestreamed Mass in Guayaquil. Left outlets give plain, factual headlines, while right outlets, especially the far-right ones, stress the priest's sermon on mortality and the graphic video.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Headlines state the death plainly, naming the priest or the crucifix and the livestreamed Mass with little added drama; the far-left Daily Beast is the exception, calling it a freak accident.

    Priest in Ecuador Dies After Crucifix Falls on Him During Livestreamed Mass
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    7 outlets

    Headlines lead with the horror of the fall or the priest's sermon on death, often quoting his words; the far-right outlets feature the homily most and add graphic detail.

    Ecuadorian Priest Dies After Cross Falls on Him During Livestreamed Homily: 'One Day, All of Us Here Will Die'
    Breitbart NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right4

    HorrificShockingdisturbingHorrifying

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    HorrificMore neutral: Moment priest killed by falling crucifix during livestreamed Mass

    The word adds dramatic judgement about the scene beyond the reported facts of the death.

    Horrific moment priest killed by falling crucifix during livestreamed Mass

    Used byNew York Post (Right)Daily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    ShockingMore neutral: Video shows

    The word characterizes the video as shocking, adding emotional emphasis rather than describing its content.

    Shocking video shows the moment parish priest Father Sánchez Molinari was crushed by the huge…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    disturbingMore neutral: The video shows

    The word characterizes the video with an emotional judgement rather than describing its content.

    GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: The disturbing video shows an enormous cross striking the priest directly in the head.

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    HorrifyingMore neutral: Moment priest is fatally crushed by falling crucifix during livestreamed Mass

    The word adds dramatic judgement about the scene beyond the reported facts.

    Horrifying moment priest is crushed to death by falling crucifix while live streaming Catholic…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

4 outlets

Leads with

  • the death and its livestreamed setting
  • the falling crucifix as the cause
  • the priest's role at the parish

Leaves out

  • the priest's words on death and time with God, not mentioned in the NBC, CBS or NYT excerpts

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The New York TimesLeft

    Priest in Ecuador Dies After Crucifix Falls on Him During Livestreamed Mass

    The Rev. Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari was addressing his congregation in Guayaquil, Ecuador, when a wooden cross detached from a wall and struck him.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Priest Killed in Freak Crucifix Accident During Livestreamed Mass

    Worshippers watching an evening religious broadcast witnessed a fatal freak accident when a heavy wooden cross suddenly detached from an altar wall, hitting and killing a priest. The tragedy unfolded at Perpetuo Socorro Church in Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Falling crucifix kills priest during livestreamed Mass in Ecuador

    "Father, Father! Call an ambulance!" people at the church could be heard shouting just before a livestreamed broadcast cuts out.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)
  • NBC NewsLeft

    Priest in Ecuador dies after crucifix falls on him during livestreamed Mass

    The Rev. Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari was the parish priest at the Church of Perpetual Relief in Guayaquil.

    Read at NBC News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

7 outlets

Leads with

  • the priest's sermon on mortality
  • the shock of a freak accident
  • the graphic video and the screaming worshippers
See the 7 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    6 hr 27 min later

    Its first report, Oct 18, 6:02 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    The Washington Times, Oct 18, 11:35 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Washington TimesRightOct 18, 11:35 AM EDT
  2. New York PostRightOct 18, 12:43 PM EDT
  3. The Daily CallerFar RightOct 18, 2:46 PM EDT
  4. Daily MailRightOct 18, 2:58 PM EDT
  5. Fox NewsFar RightOct 18, 5:00 PM EDT
  6. NBC NewsLeftOct 18, 6:02 PM EDT
  7. CBS NewsLeftOct 19, 7:37 AM EDT
  8. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 19, 8:32 AM EDT
  9. The Daily WireFar RightOct 19, 8:39 AM EDT
  10. The New York TimesLeftOct 19, 10:02 AM EDT
  11. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 19, 2:51 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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