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A Catholic priest was burned to death after his robe caught fire during an Easter ritual
During Holy Saturday Mass, Father Sanchez oversaw the “blessing of the fire,” a tradition in which a paschal candle was lit and left burned for 50 days leading up to Pentecost.
A 60-year-old Catholic priest died when his vestments caught fire during an Easter vigil due to a candle-light ceremony.
Javier Sánchez, a priest, died from horrible burn injuries in Zaragoza, Spain.
According to the Daily Mail, he sustained 50% burns in a strange accident during the Easter weekend and died after four days in intensive care.
An ember bowl surrounded by candles caught fire and emitted sparks, igniting his garment.
It was revealed that the 60-year-old died a hero by standing between the burning bowl and the nuns to protect them.
Investigations are being conducted in the interim as it’s thought that paraffin was applied to the ember bowl to aid in its burning.
Father Sanchez was sent to the Miguel Servet Hospital in Zaragoza, where he was severely injured. Despite the physicians’ best efforts, he eventually passed away from multiple organ failure.
“The priest tried to protect the nuns of the convent when embers lit up in the basin that was used [for the fire] and that ultimately caused his death. Apparently a flammable substance had been used to start the fire. [The Easter Vigil] was held inside the convent,” said a source cited by Spanish newspaper El Heraldo de Aragón.
During Holy Saturday Mass, Father Sanchez oversaw the “blessing of the fire,” a tradition in which a paschal candle was lit and left burned for 50 days leading up to Pentecost.
Because of his passion for music and his prolific songwriting, the late man was referred to as the “rock priest” and he put out three CDs during his career.
In addition, he hosted chat shows on television and was a priest at the Clinical Hospital of Zaragoza, located in the La Jota parish.
Tributes have flooded in, with one friend saying: “He was a very vital and very loved person.”
The Archbishop of Zaragoza stated the social network, saying: ‘It is with pain that we communicate that this morning the priest Javi Sánchez has died. We pray for his eternal rest.’
Pilar Martinez, secretary of the San Gregorio neighbourhood association, said the news of the priest’s death had come as ‘’a bucket of cold water.”
She said the priest had been “a good man,” even though he hadn’t been in the neighbourhood long.
