Indigenous Sign Language interpreters
By Vatican News
July 27 2022
Sign Language interpreters make sure that everyone understands Pope Francis’ message at Mass in Edmonton, Canada.
Three indigenous women interpreted Pope Francis’ Mass on Tuesday at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium into American Sign Language to make sure that everyone – including the hearing impaired – had access to his message.
Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Christopher Wells, they elaborated on the importance of communication and of how language is key to understanding. They also spoke of their personal experiences as Indigenous women, one of whom recalled the abuse she suffered growing up in a residential school.
The three women appear in this video in the following order (L-R): Marsha Ireland, Crystal Wolfe, and Rae-Marie Richardson. Liz Scully can be heard interpreting the American Sign Language into spoken English.
