God smites the faithful once again

Rome, June 1 - Prayers proved fatal for an Italian priest who plunged through a chapel floor after asking God to help his ailing mother .

The well-known Roman priest travelled to pray with his mother in their country chapel at Palestrina near Rome Wednesday night .

He broke off to change the flowers and the floor suddenly gave way as a previously undetected Roman well collapsed .

Father Claudio Rossi, 61, a Jesuit who was vice-rector at Rome University, plunged 100 feet (35 metres) to his death .

His 90-year-old mother was unharmed.