Costa Rica becomes the first Central American country to legalize same-sex "marriage"

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Romans 1:24-32

As reported by Oscar Lopez of Reuters, May 26, 2020:

MEXICO CITY (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Costa Rica gave the go-ahead to same-sex marriages on Tuesday, making it the first country in Central America to do so after a landmark court ruling came into effect at midnight.

The nation’s constitutional court ruled in August 2018 that a ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional and gave parliament 18 months to legislate or the provision would be automatically nullified.

Earlier this month, more than 20 lawmakers tried to delay the marriage ruling by 18 months but the measure failed and the ban was lifted at midnight - although couples will have to opt for online weddings due to the coronavirus restrictions.

“Costa Rica is celebrating today: marriage equality has become a reality in the country - the first one in Central America!” said the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) in a tweet.

“We rejoice with you: congratulations to all those who worked so hard to make it happen!”

Costa Rica becomes the sixth country in Latin America to allow gay marriage - after Ecuador legalised it last year - and the 28th U.N. member state to recognize same-sex marriage.

Despite considerable opposition from religious groups, gay marriage has become increasingly accepted in Latin America, with gay couples now allowed to marry in Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and parts of Mexico.

Enrique Sanchez, Costa Rica’s first openly gay congressman with the center-left Citizens’ Action Party, said this represented the culmination of a fight over many years by many people, some through activism and others anonymously.

“With their experience, their struggles ... they have helped build a society where there are no second-class families or second-rate people,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

In a region marked by religious conservatism and widespread violence towards LGBT+ people, Costa Rica’s gay marriage ruling was welcomed by many local rights activists.

“This offers us peace of mind,” said Margarita Salas, an LGBT+ rights campaigner in Costa Rica and president of the VAMOS political party. “This measure gives us the ability to protect and provide security to our family.”

Legalizing gay marriage was a major campaign promise by President Carlos Alvarado Quesada, who took office in May 2018.

“This change will cause a significant social and cultural transformation of the country,” Alvarado Quesada said in a video posted on Twitter late on Monday.

“(Gay and lesbian people) will have the rights and the same rights as any other person, couple or family in this country.”

Israeli scholars investigate pre-Columbian Puerto Rican artifacts alleged to be from lost ten tribes

There is still much research to be done, as reported by the University of Haifa, circa August 2019:

The secret of a collection of mysterious art objects from Puerto Rico, which in the past were alleged to have been made by members of the Ten Lost Tribes, has moved a step closer to a solution. Dr. Iris Groman-Yaroslavsky examined the objects in depth at her laboratory. Her findings confirmed that the objects were carved in the sixteenth century, and are not a modern forgery, and she also discovered evidence showing that some of the objects were coated in gold and in red paint. “This is definitely one of the strangest and most fascinating stories I’ve been involved in,” Dr. Groman-Yaroslavsky confessed. “To date, we have not found any similar carved stone art objects from this region of America, and this is why many researchers assumed that they must be fake. However, the microscopic tests we performed show beyond any doubt that the stones were carved around 600 years ago.”

The story of these art objects, known as the Library of Agüeybaná, sounds like the plot of an Indiana Jones movie. In the nineteenth century, a Puerto Rican monk by the name of José María Nazario presented a collection of some 800 carved stone statuettes, some of which had a clearly human form while others appeared to be artistic or ritual items. Many of the statuettes were engraved with markings that can only be some form of writing. The problem is that no similar statuettes or art objects have ever been found from this region of America, and there is no evidence at all of any writing system in the other pre-Columbian cultures of the region. The markings bore no resemblance to the writing systems developed by the Aztecs or Mayans. The story as told by the monk Nazario himself is no less bizarre: An old woman close to death invited him to her hut in the mountains, and there she told him of a treasure her family had been guarding for centuries that had belonged to the ancient inhabitants of the area. She gave him detailed instructions as to where the treasure was buried. Nazario followed her instructions and headed deep into the mountains, eventually reaching a pit covered by a large stone, just as the woman had told him. When he removed the stone, he found hundreds of statuettes. As a religious man, his explanation was that these were art objects made my members of the Ten Lost Tribes, who must have reached Puerto Rico after traveling across Siberia.

Over the years that followed, different researchers raised various suggestions about the stones and the engravings they bear. Some suggested that while some of the stones are authentic, others were forged by local people in the nineteenth century when they saw the great interest the statuettes had created. Other scholars claimed that all the statuettes are forged, and were probably made by Nazario himself, or by others. There was no agreement regarding the engravings, either: some experts claimed that the writing system was similar to Sumerian, others felt it was closer to Phoenician, and so forth.

The absence of any similar findings makes it particularly difficult to prove or disprove the authenticity of the statuettes, and as a result researchers gradually lost interest in the collection. In 2001, however, a research student called Reniel Rodríguez Ramos saw the stones during a study trip and was enchanted. He completed his doctorate in pre-Columbian cultures and returned to investigate the stones. “I decided to study the stones from scratch – to come to a ‘clean slate’ without any assumptions about whether they are real or fake, and to let the findings talk,” he explained. Rodríguez noted that even at first glance it was clear that the stones were several centuries old. Many of them showed changes in color on one side only, showing that one side had been buried in the ground while the other was exposed to air and sunlight, causing its color to change. But it could still be suggested that while the stones themselves were ancient, the engravings and carvings were only added in the nineteenth century.

After a long search, Rodríguez came to Dr. Groman-Yaroslavsky's Use-wear Analysis Laboratory. The unusual laboratory specializes in microscopic examinations revealing how various objects were made, what tools were used, whether the techniques and tools are ancient, and so forth. The microscopic tests undertaken by Dr. Groman-Yaroslavsky showed unequivocally that the stones were carved in ancient times. “Under the microscope, we can see the erosion of the stones and the brown-gray patina that is typically found when items have been buried or exposed to the ravages of nature for extensive periods. The items are made from a mineral that was originally a greenish black, but the erosion covers the engravings across the entire item, and there is no evidence of any modern manipulation that would have exposed the natural surface of the mineral,” she explains. “The processing marks on the items show that special chiseling tools were used, and all the items appear to share a unique style.” However, the analysis also revealed something that Dr. Rodríguez had not been expected: remnants of gold that appears to have coated some of the items. This reinforces still further the hypothesis that the items were used in ancient worship. Remnants were also found of a red paint that covered parts of the eyes and mouth in the figures, reflecting a complex process of design and finishing. Gold and ochre mines can be found in Puerto Rico, and there is extensive evidence regarding the use of these minerals in ritual contexts. The association with ritual activity became even more apparent when the facial design details were examined. “The items were clearly struck with a solid object, since we can see deliberate destruction around the nose and chin.”

In light of the new findings uncovered at the University, Prof. Rodríguez is now continuing his quest to unravel the secret of the statuettes. His next port of call will be an expert in the ancient writing systems of pre-Columbian America. A long journey lies ahead, but with each step Rodríguez is drawing closer to his conclusion: the existence of a previously unknown pre-Columbian civilization waiting to be uncovered.

Genetic study reveals much evidence of Sephardic Jewish ancestry in Latin America

And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. Deuteronomy 28:64

As reported by Cnaan Liphschiz of Jewish Telegraphic Agency, December 27, 2018 (links in original):

In a genetic study of 6,589 people from five Latin American countries, about a quarter displayed traces of what may be Sephardic Jewish ancestry.

Geneticist Juan-Camilo Chacón-Duque and his colleagues published their findings last week in Nature Communications magazine, in an article titled “Latin Americans show wide-spread Converso ancestry and imprint of local Native ancestry on physical appearance.”

Converso is the Spanish-language word for people who converted from Judaism to Christianity during the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal. Many conversos, or anusim in Hebrew, fled to Latin America.

Overall, converso genes account for only a small part of the ancestries of the study populations from each country, ranging from 1 percent in Brazil to 4 percent in Chile. The researchers used a set of DNA variations, or haplotypes, observed to be common among Jews with roots in the Iberian Peninsula.

But converso genes “are widespread,” Chacón-Duque told JTA.

Some 23 percent of the 6,589 people sampled showed some genes — or more than 5 percent of their ancestry — associated with Sephardic, East Mediterranean or South Mediterranean ancestry, “probably stemming mostly from the clandestine colonial migration” of conversos, the researchers wrote.

“For every individual we characterized more than 600,000 genetic variants,” they added, “creating a dense genome-wide profile of genetic variation for each individual.”

The study is the most comprehensive of its kind in Latin America, but “it doesn’t represent the whole population” of the genetically diverse region and “has biases,” Chacón-Duque said.

While the study indicates that converso genes have spread far and wide in Latin America, he added, the research sample of fewer than 7,000 people “doesn’t necessarily mean that a quarter of Latin Americans have Sephardic genes.”

Earlier this month, U.S. Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) announced at a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony that she is descended from Sephardic Jews who fled to Puerto Rico during the Spanish Inquisition. During the ensuing debate, genealogists noted that any individual can count some 1 million ancestors between the present and the year 1500.

Roman Catholic bishops in Honduras deny that a culture of homosexuality exists at the national seminary

Christine Keeler, a major figure in a memorable sex scandal, would probably comment, "Well they would say that, now, wouldn't they?" As reported by Catholic News Agency, July 30, 2018 (link in original):

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Jul 30, 2018 / 06:02 pm (ACI Prensa).- The Honduran bishops' conference on Monday denied there exists a homosexual culture at the national seminary, in response to a recent report from the National Catholic Register about Honduran seminarians lamenting that culture.

In a statement released July 30, the Honduran bishops lamented that “the 'information' from Mr. Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register, a media outlet belonging to the EWTN network, and which is the origin of the information that appears in various digital media of the country and/or abroad, causes pain and scandal in those it supposedly wants to defend.”

“With complete certainty and truth, we affirm there does not exist, nor has there existed, nor ought there exist in the seminary an atmosphere as presented by the aforementioned National Catholic Register report, in which the impression is given that [the seminary] institutionally promotes and sustains practices contrary to morality and the norms of the Church, viewed with complacency by the bishops,” the bishops' conference stated.

In “Honduran Seminarians Allege Widespread Homosexual Misconduct”, published July 25 in the National Catholic Register, Edward Pentin reported on an anonymous letter written by 48 of the 180 students at the Our Lady of Suyapa Major Seminary.

In the letter, the seminarians say that “we are living and going through a time of tension in our house, due to gravely immoral situations, especially an active homosexuality within the seminary which has been a taboo during all this time.”

They also stated that by “covering it up,” the problem has gained strength, becoming, as a priest said not long ago, an “epidemic in the seminary.”

The seminarians' letter was supposedly submitted to scrutiny at the plenary assembly of the Honduran bishops' conference in June this year.

According to Pentin's sources, when the document was read before the bishops, Cardinal Óscar Andres Rodríguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa (who coordinates the group of cardinals assisting Pope Francis in his reform of the Roman Curia), along with Bishop Angel Garachana Perez of San Pedro Sula, president of the bishops' conference, criticized the authors of the letter.

The existence of the letter was confirmed to the National Catholic Register by Bishop Guy Charbonneau of Choluteca, who said the bishops' conference is conducting an investigation to determine if the accusations are true.

“We are currently in this process,” the prelate said. “Each bishop has to deal with this, interviewing the seminarians of his own diocese.”

The National Catholic Register article came out a few days after Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Auxiliary Bishop of Tegucigalpa, Juan José Pineda Fasquelle, who at 57 was 18 years away from the obligatory age for a prelate to present his resignation.

Bishop Pineda has also been immersed in accusations of serious sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement.

In their July 30 statement, the Honduran bishops lamented that these news reports may have “disturbed” the People of God.

The bishops’ conference explained that Our Lady of Suyapa Major Seminary is “an inter-diocesan institution which, although it is located in in the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa, is at the service of the formation of candidates to the priesthood from all the dioceses of Honduras, with the exception of the Diocese of Comayagua.”

“The bishops, who are ultimately responsible for the formation of our seminarians, entrusted in 1997 the immediate task (of their formation) to the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (the Eudists) of the Colombian Province, and in recent years they have been joined by Honduran diocesan priests.”

“In the academic formation of the seminarians,” they said, “a significant number of professors including the cardinal (Rodríguez Maradiaga), priests, nuns and lay people are involved. And, ultimately, each one of the bishops of the Honduran Bishops' Conference is responsible for the formation, financial support and monitoring the human, spiritual and pastoral growth of the seminarians of our own dioceses.”

The bishops thanked God because “the enthusiasm, commitment, and dedication of so many people at the major seminary, in each one of the dioceses and parishes are bearing abundant fruit.”

However, they noted that it does not surprise them that “in the midst of that fruit weeds would appear.”

For the Honduran bishops “it is evident that there are weeds and evil, especially, in making 'anonymous' reports;' in airing them, mixing in facts, suspicions and interpretations; while ignoring the monitoring given to the challenges that arise.”

“There are weeds in sexual and affective weakness, which affects all of us and can creates inappropriate attitudes and behaviors. There are weeds in sterile pessimism, in spiritual worldliness, in the search of forms of power, human glories or financial well being,” they added.

The bishops acknowledged “that these temptations affect us and that we fall into them. But we equally recognize that the power of God is manifested in our weakness.”

The bishops' conference said that the bishops, formators, and seminarians are “engaged in a constructive and demanding dialogue to discern how to face the challenges that are posed to us by reality.”

“At this time, to support that commitment, we have requested the collaboration of a bishop emeritus of our continent, with experience in the field of priestly formation and who has also accepted our request.”

The Honduran bishops asked priests to “increase your commitment, and generous dedication to the service of the Gospel such that, following your example, free and mature vocations may come forth, unafraid to serve.”

“We ask current and future seminarians to engage enthusiastically in your discernment process, grow in confidence, authenticity and transparency with your bishops and formators, and let your communities and parishes honestly see the strengths and weaknesses of the seminary.”

Finally, they said, “we ask everyone to increase your prayers for our Major Seminary and avoid any kind of speculation which fails to respect the dignity of bishops, seminarians, the formators, and that of all of us who with limitations and failings seek to carry out the Lord's work.”

Honduran Congress votes to move the country's Israeli embassy to Jerusalem

As reported by Jewish News Syndicate, April 15, 2018:

Lawmakers in Honduras voted on Thursday to relocate the country’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“Israel congratulates the National Congress of Honduras for passing with an overwhelming majority a resolution in favor of opening an Embassy in Jerusalem,” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said on Twitter.

Honduran lawmakers approved the measure 59-33, which now must be approved by the executive branch.

“A notice has been sent to the secretary of state in the Foreign Ministry who handles [Honduran] ties to the Israeli people, according to which Honduras should consider moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv,” said National Congress First Secretary Jose Tomas Zambrano Molina.

Earlier this week, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat announced that Guatemala will open its new embassy in Jerusalem just two days after the United States in mid-May.

Like its Central American neighbor, Honduras has been strongly supportive of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to move the American embassy there.

Israel and Honduras also enjoy a strong relationship. In March, Israel announced it would be expanding cooperation with Honduras in areas such as security, economic development, education, health and the environment.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was also scheduled to take part in Israel’s 70th Independence Day celebrations next week, but was forced to withdraw from the event over human-rights objections from some in Israel.

See also my post Paraguay and Honduras are reported to be ready "in principle" to move their Israeli embassies to Jerusalem (March 16, 2018)

December 28, 2018 update: As reported by Jewish News Service, December 28, 2018:

Honduras has been in discussions with Israel to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, according to a report from Honduran news outlet Prensa Libre.

“There is a negotiation, discussions with the Honduran authorities, and for the moment no decision has been made,” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahson told the publication.

Reportedly, in return for relocating its embassy, Honduras has asked Israel to upgrade its consulate in Tegucigalpa to an embassy, in addition to assist on issues such as cyber security, water management and crime prevention.

Currently, the United States and Guatemala have their embassies in Jerusalem. Paraguay relocated its embassy to the Israeli capital in May only to move it back to Tel Aviv after President Mario Abdo Benítez reversed his predecessor’s decision in September.

April 3, 2019 update: As reported by Jewish News Syndicate, March 29, 2019:

Christian and Jewish leaders met with Honduran President Juan Carlos Hernández in Washington, D.C., this week to applaud his decision to open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.

The 20 Christian and Jewish leaders were part of an event hosted by the Latino Coalition for Israel.

“As part of Latino Coalition for Israel’s Jerusalem Task Force Mission, we have been dialoging with President Hernández and Honduran church leaders over the past year to encourage the move of their embassy to Jerusalem,” said Mario Bramnick, president of Latino Coalition for Israel.

Bramnick continued: “We were very honored to host President Hernández at this meeting, to show our great appreciation for his strong support for Israel and for the further practical steps President Hernandez will soon take in the course of officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. We look forward to seeing this process successfully culminate in Honduras’ inauguration of its embassy in Jerusalem.

At the 2019 AIPAC Policy Conference on Sunday, Hernández recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced that his country will eventually open its embassy there.

“Today, I have announced the first step, which is to open a trade office in Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel, and this will be an extension of our embassy in Tel Aviv,” he said in a statement issued by his government.

Adam Milstein, a prominent leader of the Israeli-American Community, who attended the meeting, said Hernández’s move was a “courageous decision.”

“We commend his leadership as President Hernández bravely stands up to those who continually try to deny the historic connection of the Jewish people to their homeland, the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem,” said Milstein. “Today, Hondurans and Americans alike stand on the right side of history, united against common detractors who seek to destroy our way of life.”

September 7, 2019 update: Honduras has opened a trade office in Jerusalem, as reported by Jewish News Syndicate, March 29, 2019:

Christian and Jewish leaders met with Honduran President Juan Carlos Hernández in Washington, D.C., this week to applaud his decision to open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.

The 20 Christian and Jewish leaders were part of an event hosted by the Latino Coalition for Israel.

“As part of Latino Coalition for Israel’s Jerusalem Task Force Mission, we have been dialoging with President Hernández and Honduran church leaders over the past year to encourage the move of their embassy to Jerusalem,” said Mario Bramnick, president of Latino Coalition for Israel.

Bramnick continued: “We were very honored to host President Hernández at this meeting, to show our great appreciation for his strong support for Israel and for the further practical steps President Hernandez will soon take in the course of officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. We look forward to seeing this process successfully culminate in Honduras’ inauguration of its embassy in Jerusalem.

At the 2019 AIPAC Policy Conference on Sunday, Hernández recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced that his country will eventually open its embassy there.

“Today, I have announced the first step, which is to open a trade office in Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel, and this will be an extension of our embassy in Tel Aviv,” he said in a statement issued by his government.

Adam Milstein, a prominent leader of the Israeli-American Community, who attended the meeting, said Hernández’s move was a “courageous decision.”

“We commend his leadership as President Hernández bravely stands up to those who continually try to deny the historic connection of the Jewish people to their homeland, the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem,” said Milstein. “Today, Hondurans and Americans alike stand on the right side of history, united against common detractors who seek to destroy our way of life.”

Honduras has opened a "diplomatic office" in Jerusalem, as reported by Jewish News Syndicate, August 28, 2019 (first link inserted by blogger, others in original):

President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández is set to visit Jerusalem on Sunday in part to inaugurate a “diplomatic office,” the Honduran government announced on Tuesday.

The government said that the office will be an extension of its existing embassy, according to Reuters. The country had already said in March that it would open a trade office in the Israeli capital.

“For me, it’s the recognition that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel,” Hernández said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017 and moved the embassy there five months later. Since then, a few countries have followed, and others have alluded to taking steps in this direction, but have stopped short of moving their embassies.

Guatemala moved its embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018, shortly after the American move from Tel Aviv. Paraguay had also announced a move, though it then reversed its decision, affecting relations with Israel for the time being.

Paraguay and Honduras are reported to be ready "in principle" to move their Israeli embassies to Jerusalem

As reported by Jewish News Service, March 12, 2018 (links in original):

Following on the heels of the United States and Guatemala, Paraguay and Honduras have announced that they are ready “in principle” to relocate their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, according to Israel’s Army Radio.

The countries have conditioned their moves on an official visit to their countries by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu visited Latin America in September, but did not stop in Paraguay. During Netanyahu’s trip, Paraguay’s President Horacio Cartes traveled to Buenos Aires to meet with Netanyahu.

At the recent AIPAC Policy Conference, President Jimmy Morales announced that Guatemala would move its embassy to Jerusalem “two days after the United States moves its embassy,” tentatively scheduled for May 14.

In December, following the announcement that the United States would move its embassy and officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the U.N. General Assembly voted to condemn America’s announcement.

The nine countries to vote against were Israel, the United States, Honduras, Guatemala, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo. Paraguay was one of 35 countries to abstain, while another 21 countries did not participate in the vote.

President Milos Zeman has also expressed his desire to move the Czech Republic’s embassy to Jerusalem.

May 8, 2018 update: As reported by Jewish Telegraphic Agency, May 8, 2018 (link in original):

JERUSALEM — Paraguay is moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from its current position near Tel Aviv.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry made the announcement in a statement issued on Monday. Reuters also verified the move with a Paraguay government spokesman.

Paraguay will be the third country to move its embassy to Jerusalem. The United States will dedicate its temporary Jerusalem embassy on May 14, followed two days later by Guatemala.

Paraguay’s president, Horacio Cartes, will come to Israel later this month, on May 21 or May 22 to open the country’s new Jerusalem embassy, Reuters reported citing a Paraguay government spokesman.

The Paraguayan embassy is currently located in the coastal city of Herzliya.

Cartes, who will leave office in mid-August when a new government takes over, announced late last month during an event in the capital Asuncion marking Israel’s 70th Independence Day that he planned to move the embassy before the end of his term. It is not known if Cartes consulted with President-elect Mario Abdo Benítez before announcing the move.

May 22, 2018 update: As reported by Tazpit Press Service, May 21, 2018:

Paraguay officially moved its embassy to Jerusalem Monday, becoming the third country to make the move in the past week, after the United States and Guatemala moved their embassies to the capital on May 14 and 16, respectively.

Thanking Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called the move “a great day for Israel, a great day for Paraguay, a great day for our friendship.”

Netanyahu said Israel would “never forget” that Paraguay had helped Jews escape Nazi Germany during the second World War and that it had supported the creation of Israel and the recognition of the State of Israel in the United Nations.

Paraguay, Netanyahu added, had, under Cartes’ leadership, taken a “bold stance” in international affairs and had “refused to cooperate with the lies directed against Israel.”

“We always remember that. Thank you Horacio. Thank you, and thank you Paraguay.” Netanyahu said.

Cartes said that moving the embassy to Jerusalem “expresses the sincere friendship and brave solidarity between Paraguay and Israel.”

“From the depth of my heart, I appreciate this country that courageously defends its right to live in peace and it is building a praiseworthy economically prosperous state that ensures its future and that of its children,” the Paraguayan president said.

Later Monday, Netanyahu will host Cartes at a reception at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem.

Ahead of the opening of the embassy, foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon tweeted “These are extraordinary times in which our beloved capital receives its due international recognition. A great time for Israeli diplomacy and many more to come.

Guatemala follows U.S.A.'s lead in announcing that it will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it...
...In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem...
... In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Zechariah 12:2-3, 6, 8-9

As reported by Fox News, December 24, 2017 (link in original):

Less than a month after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, Guatemala became the first nation to follow his lead, announcing on Christmas Eve that it would move its embassy there as well.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales posted to Facebook on Sunday that he'd just spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"We are talking about the excellent relations that we have had as nations since Guatemala supported the creation of the state of Israel," Morales wrote in the translated Facebook post.

On Nov. 29, 1947, when the U.N. voted to partition the British mandate of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, the countries did not vote in alphabetical order starting with “A.”

Instead, the U.N. put the names of all of the member countries in a hat -- then picked one, started with that country and went in alphabetical order from there.

By sheer chance, the country picked out of the hat, and thus the very first country to vote for the creation of the modern state of Israel, was Guatemala.

This year, Guatemala was one of the countries that did not vote with the United Nations when it declared in a non-binding resolution that Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was "null and void."

Nine countries voted "no": Honduras, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Togo, Guatemala, the U.S. and Israel.

In addition, 35 countries abstained from the vote and 21 were "absent." In all, 128 countries supported the measure.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, who had warned the U.S. would take names after the vote, singled out the countries that did not vote for the resolution, inviting them to a January reception to "thank you for your friendship to the United States."

No other country has its embassy for Israel in Jerusalem, though the Czech Republic has said it is considering such a move.

Neither the U.S. nor Guatemala specified exactly when its embassy would move.

Netanyahu had predicted others would follow the U.S. lead. He has made great efforts to reach out to Latin America in recent years as part of a campaign to counter longstanding support for the Palestinians at the United Nations.

Trump said he was merely recognizing reality and not prejudging negotiations on the future borders of the city. Israel naturally gave its support while Palestinians saw the move as siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim the city's eastern sector, which was captured by Israel in 1967 and is home to sensitive religious Jewish, Muslim and Christian sites. Many governments have long said that the fate of Jerusalem must be resolved through negotiations.

Trump's announcement has set off weeks of fighting between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces that have left 12 Palestinians dead.

The 128-9 U.N. vote was seen as a victory for Palestinians, but fell short of the total they had predicted.

April 17, 2018 update: As reported by Jonathan Benedek of Breaking Israel News, March 5, 2018 (links in original):

Guatemala will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem only a couple days of after the US does the same with its embassy, President Jimmy Morales revealed in an address on Sunday at this year’s annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference.

“In May of this year, we will celebrate Israel’s 70th anniversary, and under my instructions, two days after the United States moves its embassy, Guatemala will return and permanently move its embassy to Jerusalem,” Morales said.

The Trump administration had announced over a week ago that it would speed up the process of gradually moving the US embassy to Jerusalem in correlation with Israel’s upcoming 70th anniversary. Morales credited Trump with showing initiative and leadership on the issue.

“I would like to thank President Trump for leading the way. His courageous decision has encouraged us to do what is right.”

“It is important to be among the first, but it is more important to do what is right,” he continued. “Therefore, as President of Guatemala and the person responsible for foreign affairs policy of my country, backed by the constitution of the Republic of Guatemala, I decided to return the Guatemalan Embassy to to Jerusalem.”

Morales had noted in his speech that Guatemala was the first country to have an embassy in Jerusalem and as early as 1959, before Israel took back the rest of the capital during the Six Day War in 1967.

“Throughout history, Guatemala has been among the first to make transcendental decisions as it relates to Israel,” the president added.

“This decision, strongly evidences Guatemala’s continued support and solidarity with the people of Israel, and we are sure that many other countries will follow in our steps.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Likud party last week that he expects it to only be “a matter of time” before other countries follow the lead of Trump and Morales in moving their embassies to Jerusalem. Canada’s Conservatives have pledged to do just that with the Canadian embassy in Israel, if they return to power in Ottawa after the next election cycle.

May 17, 2018 update: As reported by Jewish Telegraphic Agency, May 16, 2018:

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Guatemala inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem, the second country to move its main diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales attended the opening Wednesday morning of the embassy in the Technological Park of southern Jerusalem’s Malha neighborhood.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Morales and his delegation in Spanish with “Buenas Dias,” which means good day in Spanish, before switching to English.

“This is the beginning of something extraordinary, or I would say, the re-beginning of something extraordinary, which is the relationship between Guatemala and Israel,” he said.

Netanyahu noted that Guatemala was the second country behind the United States to recognize Israel’s independence after the partition vote in the United Nations. The United States opened its Jerusalem embassy in the southern Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood on Monday.

Netanyahu told Morales that he would visit Guatemala on his next trip to Latin America. Guatemala previously had an embassy in Jerusalem, the first country in the world to open an embassy in the city in 1956. It closed in 1980 following a United Nations Security Council resolution that called for such closures.

Before the ceremony, Netanyahu and Morales held a private meeting. They were scheduled to meet after the ceremony with their entourages.

Paraguay is scheduled to open a Jerusalem embassy on May 21 with its president, Horacio Cartes, due to be in attendance.

Noted astrologer and psychic fails to foresee his own murder

And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: Luke 4:23a

As reported by Liam Quinn of the London Daily Mail, August 31, 2016 (updated September 1, 2016) (link in original):

The body of a famous astrologer and clairvoyant who predicted the death of Michael Jackson has been found rotting in a Mexican alley after he was shot in the back of the head.

Rodrigo Rodriguez, born in Colombia, was found dead near the bathroom at a building he used in Cancun on Saturday morning.

Police found the body after neighbors complained about a strong stench coming from his office, local media reports.

The astrologer, who was known as 'El Brujo de las Estrellas' - the 'Wizard of the Stars', rose to fame by predicting and charting the lives of local celebrities.

He regularly appeared on local television shows, and had events scheduled in the coming months, according to Fox Latino.

The 'wizard' was due to travel to Spain in October, where he would read the futures of the entire royal family.

Rodriguez described his upcoming regal trip as a, 'a big step for (his) career', and said he was thrilled about the opportunity.

In addition to 'predicting' Jackson's death in 2009, Rodriguez also claims to have foreseen the deaths of Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse.

He also claimed 2014 would be Lady Gaga's last year, however the popstar survived the year and has gone on seemingly unperturbed by the gloomy prediction.

Showing that he doesn't just have an eye for celebrity deaths, the Colombian has also claimed to know the location of crashed plane MH370.

El Salvador denies that it's moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Ramallah

As reported by the Times of Israel, January 18, 2016:

El Salvador’s ambassador to Israel emphatically denied media reports on Sunday that his country was planning on moving its embassy to the West Bank in response to Foreign Ministry intentions to close the Israeli embassy in the Central American nation.

The country’s newly appointed ambassador, Werner Matias Romero, told The Times of Israel that El Salvador was “not even thinking” of moving its embassy from Tel Aviv.

However, Romero expressed his grave disappointment with the Israeli move to shut down its embassy in San Salvador, the capital, and said El Salvadoran authorities had taken up the matter with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also serves as Israel’s foreign minister.

“We were very surprised and concerned with that decision,” he said. “My minister has sent a letter to Netanyahu expressing that concern and surprise. We are hoping the government of Israel reconsiders its unfortunate decision due to the longstanding deep relationship between El Salvador and Israel.”

In addition to the embassy in El Salvador, Israel’s Foreign Ministry intends to close its consulates in Philadelphia, Marseilles, the Caribbean as well as its embassy in Belarus.

The decision to close the diplomatic outposts was reportedly made in order to free up funds needed to strengthen existing diplomatic offices.

“I just arrived in October and we were planning on deepening ties and holding a lot of joint events, programs and activities, so the decision took us by surprise,” Romero lamented.

He noted that funding for embassies is a problem for El Salvador, too, but Israel is worth the effort.

“We also struggle with trying to find enough resources so we can maintain all our embassies. El Salvador has been opening instead of closing embassies. The Israeli embassy is considered by us one of the most important. We struggle but are committed to maintaining our diplomatic network, and maintaining Israel is a priority.

“We were told by the Foreign Ministry that Israel was reaching out to Latin American countries,” he continued. “Central America, despite being small, is 55 million people, and is very economically important. El Salvador has been extremely supportive of allowing Israel to join the Central American Integration System (CETA) as an extraterritorial member. Israel has wanted to become an extraterritorial member, and the HQ is in San Salvador.

“We in El Salvador are also going through hard times in terms of security and see Israel as a key partner in this endeavor.”

“I want to reiterate that we are disappointed but we are hopeful. Even though Israel said they will shut the embassy down at the end of 2016, we will try to get the government to reconsider.”

Earlier Sunday, the Ynet news site quoted diplomatic sources saying that El Salvador had threatened to close its embassy in Israel and move it to the West Bank or Egypt because Salvadorian officials were upset to learn that Israel had decided to close its mission in San Salvador.

In the summer of 2014, El Salvador recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv in protest over Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Foreign Ministry officials slammed the move, saying recalling ambassadors only encouraged Gaza’s radical Hamas leaders.

Click on the link for the article El Salvador threatens to move its embassy to Ramallah from Ynet News, January 17, 2016.

Mayas in Mexico aren't expecting the end of the world on December 21, 2012

My rough translation of an article in French by Judith Lachapelle that appeared in the Montreal newspaper La Presse on July 7, 2012:

CANCUN--"I don't believe it will be the end of the world. The Mayas likewise say that it will be the end of a cycle, or something like that. So, no, I don't think it will be the end of the world."

Mariana was there to extol the charms of Cancun, celebrated spa of the Mexican Riviera. She wasn't dodging the famous question on the imminence of the end of the world on account of December 21, 2012, it is believed in certain interpretations of the Maya calendar.

"You say "I believe." Aren't you sure?"

Mariana appeared disconcerted for several seconds. "It's true that many things happen since the beginning of the year, she candidly reflected in a high voice. I was in Mexico in March when there was an earthquake. I tell myself after all, maybe it's the end of the world, or "of one" world...No?"

Why not? Everything is sold, even the end of the world. The promise is based on a strongly doubtful interpretation of the Maya calendar, but business and tourism in Cancun leapt to the occasion. Talk about it for good, or talk about it for evil, but talk about it, as they say...

So, tour operators have found a "spiritual" message to transmit: end of the world or not, it's the ideal occasion "to make the point, to reflect on what we want to change in our life, and on the planet," recites Paula Gomez, representative of the tourist association who drew in May a group of journalists to extol the Maya Riviera, end of the world version.

The Yucatan peninsula evidently has all that's necessary to wash and purify the human spirit before the final Judgment. To start lots of of salt water and good temperature.

But it's not only on the sea that one surfs: spas now offer "Maya care," spectacles of grand unfolding and Maya ceremonies, and "Maya gastronomy" is repeated on the tablecloths.

And the Mayas inside there? They haven't disappeared--famines and diseases drove away their venerable cities before the arrival of the Spanish, but the Mayas, their language and their culture are still present in several regions of Mexico. But to find the authentic Maya in the carnival of the end of the world, it is necessary to go back to the sources.

A trip in the ancient cities of Tulum, Chichen Itza and especialy Coba, allows for better understanding of the roots of this advanced civilization which had--like many others of its contemporaries elsewhere--devised its own calendar. A calendar that has previewed, thus far, the end of a cycle of 5300 years in December 2012.

And after the end of the cycle? Herculano Kuyoccan, our May guide in Coba, lifts his eyes to the sky. And it's not to invoke Bolan Ok Te, the deity who is supposed to come at the end of the year. After December 2012? "Another cycle begins again. That's all."