Church leaders, safeguarding experts, and Deaf advocates gather in Panama City to promote listening, accessibility, and protection for survivors of abuse.
By Vatican News, in collaboration with DCYIA — Panama City, Panama
The First International Conference on the Sexual Abuse of Deaf Children has brought together Church leaders, safeguarding experts, survivors, and Deaf advocates to strengthen protection for Deaf children and vulnerable persons.
Held July 8–11, 2026, under the theme “Changing the Culture of Abuse Together,” the Deaf Catholic Youth Initiative for the Americas (DCYIA), CEPROME, and the Archdiocese of Panama, led by Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, O.S.A., organized the congress.
Delegates from Argentina, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, the United States, Venezuela, and the Vatican gathered to address a painful reality: many Deaf survivors of abuse have long remained unseen and unheard because of isolation, communication barriers, and lack of accessible reporting channels.
A call to conversion
Opening the congress with Mass, Archbishop Ulloa described the gathering as “a path of conversion” that requires the Church to learn a new way of listening. “For many years, we thought that Deaf people had to adapt to our pastoral structures. Today, we understand that the Gospel asks us to do the exact opposite. It is the Church that must learn the language of encounter.”
Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, O.S.A., opens the congress with Mass, calling the Church to learn “the language of encounter.” (Ricardo Perez Montelongo)
The congress also drew support from Church leaders who joined its liturgies, including Archbishop John Kennedy, Secretary for the Disciplinary Section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán, O.A.R.; Father Basil Ikechukwu Mbah, Secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature in Panama; and Archbishop Ulloa.
Accessibility at the heart of safeguarding
Keynote presentations brought together Deaf and hearing experts in pastoral ministry, canon law, psychology, legal advocacy, and survivor support. Speakers included Maryann Barth, MA; Laureen Lynch-Ryan, MSW; Daiana Gisel Lizarraga; Nancy Cortez, ILSA; Deborah Pizarro, ILSA; Mg. Lic. Gema Lara Lanteri; Dr. Oscar Gerardo Barrera; Dra. Patricia Espinoza Hernandez; Archbishop John Kennedy; Dr. Consuelo Manero Soto; Dr. Daniel Portillo Trevizo; and Fr. Joseph Mulcrone. Topics included Deaf culture, the history of abuse, the Próvolo Institute cases in Argentina, canonical accountability, diocesan safeguarding protocols, and long-term pastoral healing.
Deaf and hearing experts present on safeguarding, survivor advocacy, canon law, pastoral healing, and the history of abuse in Deaf communities. (Ricardo Perez Montelongo)
A defining feature of the gathering was full communication access. Sessions were conducted in four sign languages—Argentine, Mexican, Panamanian, and American Sign Language—alongside English and Spanish.
Fr. Joseph Mulcrone said the multilingual and multisign-language format sent a clear message: “The Deaf community is not merely an object of care, but an active, indispensable partner in safeguarding.”
Interpreting teams provided access across formal sessions, meals, informal gatherings, synodal discussions, and after-hours conversations, allowing Deaf and hearing participants to engage more fully and setting a strong example for ecclesial accessibility.
Listening through synodality
Participants also took part in Synodal Tables, small-group discussions where Deaf and hearing participants, survivors, and canonical experts shared experiences and proposed practical safeguarding solutions.
Participants take part in Synodal Tables, sharing experiences and proposing practical safeguarding solutions through dialogue and listening (Ricardo Perez Montelongo)
The process emphasized that safeguarding cannot be separated from listening, language access, and the active participation of those most affected.
A commitment beyond Panama
Participants described the Panama Congress as a turning point for faith, safeguarding, and disability advocacy, affirming that Deaf sign languages must be recognized and Deaf dignity protected. The gathering also set a new benchmark for Church governance and Deaf-led advocacy by showing that Deaf people are not only recipients of protection, but partners in building safe environments.
The Panama Congress launches an international network committed to ensuring that no child or vulnerable person is left unprotected or unheard. (Ricardo Perez Montelongo)
Fr. Mulcrone linked the congress to the wider call of Catholic social teaching:
“Recently in his Encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo wrote, ‘Ours is the primary duty to remain profoundly human.’ The goal of this Conference was to touch the deep human condition of those who have been the victims of terrible crimes, especially Deaf people. In an effective way, that goal and the beginnings of an ongoing effort were achieved.”
By building bridges across language barriers, the Panama Congress launched an international network committed to ensuring that no child or vulnerable person, in any language, is left unprotected or unheard
