The Catholic Church in Panama has begun a process to evaluate its handling of cases of sexual abuse of minors over the past 25 years, forming an independent commission backed by universities from the United States and Spain. The announcement was made by the Metropolitan Archbishop, José Domingo Ulloa, during his Sunday homily, in which he stated that the Panamanian Church is called to a process of conversion, truth, and listening in the face of this scourge. According to his explanation, the Archdiocese of Panama requested an independent Transparency Commission to conduct an institutional assessment of how the Church handled abuse cases against minors registered between 2001 and 2026. Ulloa stated that the central axis of this process will be the respectful and confidential listening to victims, both those who have already given their testimony and those who have not yet dared to speak. "We must look reality in the face, without evasions or justifications, putting victims and their dignity at the center," he stressed. The main phase of this evaluation will take place from January 28 to April 30, 2026, and will be directed at direct and indirect victims of abuses suffered during their childhood and adolescence. The prelate acknowledged that reliving these experiences involves profound pain, so the process will take place in a safe, empathetic environment with strict guarantees of confidentiality and identity protection. Meanwhile, lawyer Adrián Cuevas, from the Church's Listening Office, reiterated that upon becoming aware of abuse cases, there is a commitment to file complaints with the competent authorities, respecting due process and the presumption of innocence. The conclusions will be presented in September 2026. The coordinator of the Transparency Commission, Reverend Jordi Pujol, explained that the objective is to carry out a comprehensive evaluation that goes beyond simple statistics to understand how the abuses occurred and how the institution responded. He added that the report will seek to propose better support mechanisms for victims, their families, and communities, as well as to strengthen measures to ensure the Church is a safe environment.
