Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Pope’s support of gay unions poses challenge for Panama Catholics.
The declaration by Pope Francis in support of civil union laws for same-sex couples, saying that homosexual people have the right to be with each other will pose a challenge for local followers who have demonstrated against same-sex marriage.
‘They are children of God and they have the right to have a family. No one can be thrown out of the family, nor can life be made impossible for that, Pope Francis is quoted in a new documentary. ‘What we have to have is a civil union law; in this way, they are legally protected.
The comments, in stark contrast to the positions of his predecessors, are likely to provoke controversy among local Catholics.
Source: MENA FN
Panama’s 2nd biggest Indigenous group votes to ban masks.
A cultural body for the Guna Yala people in Panama voted Monday to ban the wearing of face masks used to combat coronavirus infections, arguing “it is not a custom of our people.”
The measure would drop a requirement for masks in schools and forbid government officials visiting the territories of the Guna Yala from wearing them. About 34,000 Guna Yala people, the second-largest of seven Indigenous groups in Panama, live mainly on the Caribbean coast.
Although Indigenous territories in Panama have significant autonomy, the possible effects of the vote by the General Congress of the Guna Yala Culture were unclear. Panama’s government said that the cultural assembly does not have the authority to decide public health matters and that such a move would be up to the Indigenous territory’s official law-making congress.
Source: Norfolk Daily News
Crypto cruise ship Satoshi soon heading to Panama.
Tourism Authority Administrator Ivan Eskildsen has welcomed plans for the crypto cruise ship Satoshi to be located off Panama.
The vessel, which formerly sailed as Pacific Dawn for P&O Cruises Australia, recently went to a new owner. It had been headed to Cruise & Maritime Voyages before that company went bankrupt.
Ocean Builders plans to position Satoshi in the Gulf of Panama, where it will serve as a place for ‘blockchain (and non-blockchain) enthusiasts to live and work in a crypto-friendly environment.’
Source: Seatrade Cruise News
Check out Panama’s New Qualified Investor Immigration Program
The “Qualified Investor” immigration program was created by Executive Decree # 722 of the 15th of October of 2020.
The Qualified Investor program offers international investors an “expedited” (30-day process) opportunity to obtain legal permanent residency status in Panama, leading to citizenship in Panama (and a Panama passport).
Please note that this particular Qualified Investor residency program offers a special benefit in that the investor is not required to be present in Panama, to apply for residency.
