Originally published at The Catholic Thing
After an investigation lasting two decades, scientists in Spain claim to have confirmed that the remains of Christopher Columbus are indeed entombed within Seville Cathedral. They have also addressed another long-standing mystery that has swirled around the great explorer more than five centuries after his death, regarding his exact origins. Was Columbus Italian, Basque, Catalan, Galician, Greek, Portuguese or Jewish? Based on genetic studies, the scientific team concluded that the famed explorer was most likely a Jewish Spaniard who concealed his Jewish identity and may have converted to Catholicism to escape religious persecution.
