Panama’s Archbishop Ulloa Condemns Recent Femicides and Urges the Country not to Normalize Violence
Violence against women continues unabated: 112 femicides in the last five years.
During Sunday Mass on October 19, Metropolitan Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa of Panama appealed to authorities following the recent murders of two women, one in Santiago and the other in Aguadulce, calling them a wound that “cries out to heaven” and that the country can no longer tolerate. “The Gospel cannot remain silent in the face of innocent blood,” he said, after lamenting what happened. “We cannot remain indifferent,” the prelate said, warning that domestic violence “is not a private matter, but a social wound that destroys families, wounds communities, and snuffs out innocent lives.” Ulloa urged us to recognize that, as a society, a state, and even a church, “we have failed” by not educating sufficiently about respect and the dignity of women and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
“The machismo culture, still present in many environments, fuels the false idea that others—and women in particular—can be treated as property. This mentality contradicts the Gospel: no one belongs to anyone; every life is sacred and deserves absolute respect,” he added. The archbishop emphasized the urgent need for clear state policies, including emotional education from childhood, psychological and spiritual support, and genuine protection for victims. He also called on the media to promote a culture of peace “without sensationalism,” and on families to return to dialogue, empathy, and respect.
“Being missionaries of hope also implies being missionaries of justice,” Ulloa affirmed, recalling that the Church cannot limit itself to praying, but must denounce, accompany, and act. The death of a 25-year-old woman in the province of Veraguas added to the growing panorama of violence against women in Panama, where 112 femicides have been recorded between December 2020 and December 2024. Statistics from the Public Prosecutor’s Office indicate that from January to September 30, 2025, there were 12 femicides, 9 attempted femicides, and 15 violent deaths. For the same period in 2024, the figure was 16 femicides, 2 attempted femicides, and 20 violent deaths.
