“Suffering is not proof of guilt”: South Sudan Bishop Rejects Divine Punishment Claims over Priest’s Death

Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala of the Diocese of Tombura-Yambio is urging Christians to respond with prayer and compassion following the death of a priest in Ecuador, rather than interpreting the accident as divine punishment.

The death occurred on Saturday, October 17, when a crucifix mounted on the wall behind the altar fell on Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari. Father Sánchez Molinari, a 53-year-old Redemptorist and parish priest in the Archdiocese of Guayaquil, was presiding over Holy Mass when the incident happened.

In a reflection published Monday, October 19, Bishop Kussala rejected claims that the tragedy was a judgment from God. He noted that Jesus Christ was innocent despite suffering on the Cross and stated that suffering does not prove guilt. The bishop advised the faithful to exercise humility and avoid claiming to understand the hidden purposes of God, suggesting instead that the event calls for deeper reflection and prayer.