Paul Mackenzie and his church set up sect that ordered followers to starve themselves and their children, say prosecutors
A Kenyan court has found the starvation cult leader Paul Mackenzie and about 30 others guilty of murder over the deaths of 190 children and one adult in one of the world’s worst cult-related disasters in recent history.
Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after police received a tipoff, and weeks later authorities began uncovering bodies in shallow graves in the Shakahola forest near the coast in south-eastern Kenya.
Scott Peyton joined the Anglicans after the crime against his son. Then the Catholic church officially expelled him
The Roman Catholic church has upheld the excommunication of a Louisiana deacon who resigned from the clergy after a priest molested his son.
Scott Peyton learned of the decision by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) – the Vatican entity in charge of Catholic clerical discipline – on Friday in a meeting with the bishop of the diocese of Lafayette, J Douglas Deshotel. The DDF cited technical grounds in rejecting Peyton’s appeal, saying he had joined an Anglican congregation, “published [that] fact … on social media” and therefore refused to submit to the Catholic pope, who since May 2025 has been Leo XIV.
A priest preparing Communion was fatally struck by a falling crucifix during a livestreamed Mass in Ecuador, turning a moment of worship into a frantic rush to save him.
Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari was standing at the altar of Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro Church in Guayaquil on Saturday when the large wooden crucifix behind him suddenly fell forward and struck him.
Video of the service captures screams erupting inside the church as worshippers ran to his side and called for help.
The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed his death in a Facebook statement, identifying him as the parish priest of Perpetuo Socorro Church in its Central Vicariate.
"Our dear Fr. Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari … has departed to the Father’s House to enjoy His presence and His glory," the archdiocese wrote in Spanish.
"Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen," the statement concluded in Latin.
The tragedy unfolded just one day after the archdiocese congratulated Sánchez Molinari on the anniversary of his ordination, Ecuadorian news outlet Primicias reported.
The Mass was being livestreamed on social media when the crucifix fell, recording both the fatal incident and the desperate response from those inside the church.
"Father, Father … call an ambulance," a woman can be heard shouting in the video.
Sánchez Molinari belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Redemptorists. Before serving in Guayaquil, he spent several years as parish priest at San Lorenzo in Vinces, in Ecuador’s Los Ríos province, according to Primicias.
His former parish mourned his death in a social media tribute, remembering the dedication and pastoral love he brought to its community, El Universo reported.
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