Editing Palmarian Catholic Church (section)

====Palmarian Catholic Church in 21st century====
[[Image:Cathedral 2022.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Cathedral-Basilica of Our Crowned Mother of Palmar]], the headquarters of the Palmarian Church, was completed in 2014.]]
Following the death of Pope Gregory XVII in 2005, as his Palmarian Secretary of State, Manuel Alonso Corral (Fr. Isidore María), automatically ascended to the Palmarian Papacy. He chose as his Papal name, [[Manuel Alonso Corral|Pope Peter II]], which had so far been avoided by Catholic Popes since the time of [[Peter the Apostle]]. Having been the discreet intellectual power behind the throne of the previous Pontificate, not claiming any visions himself, Pope Peter II's Papacy was mostly defined around defending Palmarian Orthodoxy in Papal documents.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=144}} Though he did in 2006 define as dogma the doctrine of the birth of the [[Antichrist]] into the world at the millennium and the circumstances of his birth to the “Anti-Mary.”{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=144}} The ''leitmotif'' of his Papacy was a deeper sense of Palmarian identity over national ones and a more rigorous focus on the need to uphold “''The Norms''”, with Palmarians increasing required to cut themselves off from the "moral depravity of the surrounding world", for the Palmarians, a  “world totally dominated by [[Satan]].”{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=145}} During this time, the Palmarian Church did not actively seek to grow its membership and avoided even having an [[internet]] presence, suffering from members leaving and also a shortage of religious vocations.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=148}} Pope Peter II died on 15 July 2011, after a long illness.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.palmarianchurch.org/recent-popes/#papapedroii|title=Recent Popes – Iglesia Cristiana Palmariana|website=www.palmarianchurch.org|access-date=2019-04-17}}</ref>

Fr. Sergio María (born [[Ginés Jesús Hernández]]), as the previous Palmarian Secretary of State under Pope Peter II, ascended to the Palmarian Papacy next in 2011 as Pope Gregory XVIII.<ref>{{cite web |title=Who is the new 'Pope' of the Palmarians?|date=27 September 2011 |url=https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2011/09/27/who-is-the-new-pope-of-the-palmarians/|publisher=The Olive Press}} Retrieved on 9 November 2023.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Current Status of Catholic Sedevacantism and Antipopes (2009)|url=https://www.cesnur.org/2009/plz_sedevacantism.htm|publisher=[[:it:PierLuigi Zoccatelli|PierLuigi Zoccatelli]]}} Retrieved on 9 November 2023.</ref> Lacking the charisma of Domínguez and the intellectual polish of Corral, Pope Gregory XVIII was instead characterised as a “managerial Pope”,{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=158}} an administrator, rather than a visionary or theologian and looked to uphold the basic teachings of traditional Palmarian Catholicism.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=157}} His style was highly authoritarian and militaristic, characterised by some critics as “unpredictable” and “angry”.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=156}} During the early years of his Pontificate, strengthening ''“The Norms”'' even further was of central focus and this became increasingly hardline and controversial, with a harder stance on [[shunning]] family members who became apostates (including splitting up families, as well as expelling teenagers from homes), regulating that Palmarian schoolchildren should not play or talk with non-Palmarian classmates{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=159}} and making it an excommunicable offense to leave property in a will to apostates or “public anti-Palmarians.”{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=170}}

In terms of religious developments in the reign of Pope Gregory XVIII, in 2012, the annual celebration of Palmarian [[Holy Week]] was moved to a [[Date of Easter|permanently fixed date]], with [[Holy Friday]] always falling on 25 March, inline with the teachings of ''[[The Sacred History or Holy Palmarian Bible]]''.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=163}} An extensive six-volume Palmarian ''Lives of the Saints'' was published{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=163}} and the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Crowned Mother of Palmar would be completed by 2014.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=170}} In 2012, Pope Gregory XVIII had declared a ''Third Palmarian Council'', which mostly focused on codifying issues relating to ''“The Norms”''. Internet use was banned in 2012 and the Pope claimed that, “newspapers, radio, TV and the Internet", were controlled by "Freemasons and Zionists.”{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=164}} Between 2013 and 2016, publications were less frequent from the Palmarian Papacy, typically focusing on defending Palmarian claims and critiquing the statements of [[Pope Francis|Francis]] in the Vatican, or "Antipope Pancho", in the words of Pope Gregory XVIII.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=168}} Toward the end of his reign, in 2016, claiming to be following the Roman model of the [[Swiss Guard]], Pope Gregory XVIII set up his own Palmarian Papal Guard, consisting mostly of German-speaking Palmarians, they dressed in red berets and khaki uniforms reminiscent of the [[Carlist]] ''[[requetés]]''.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=144}} In the last few months of his reign, Pope Gregory XVIII relaxed some of the harshest rules in a document entitled ''The Easing of Several Norms'', citing "morbid scruples" some of the rules had driven the laity to and eschewing "extremism."{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=174}}<ref name="Lundberg2016-05-01">{{cite web|last=Lundberg|first=Magnus|date=2016-05-01|orig-year=first posted 2016-04-22|title=The Palmarian Pope has resigned and is succeeded by Peter III|website=magnuslundberg.net|type=blog|location=Uppsala, Sweden|publisher=Magnus Lundberg|url=https://magnuslundberg.net/2016/04/22/the-palmarian-pope-has-resigned/|access-date=2016-05-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503165105/https://magnuslundberg.net/2016/04/22/the-palmarian-pope-has-resigned/|archive-date=2016-05-03|url-status=live |ref=none}} {{link note|note=Content has been added since the first posted date}}</ref>
[[File:Papa Pedro III Iglesia Palmariana.jpg|thumb|300x300px|Pope Peter III, fourth pope and primate of the Palmarian Catholic Church]]
There was a major defection on 22 April 2016, as Pope Gregory XVIII announced that he was abdicating from the Palmarian Papacy due to losing the faith. The Papacy passed automatically to his Palmarian Secretary of State, Fr. Eliseo María (born [[Joseph Odermatt]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Inside Spain's Right-Wing Rebel Catholic Cult|date=14 August 2016 |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-spains-right-wing-rebel-catholic-cult|publisher=The Daily Beast}} Retrieved on 9 November 2023.</ref> A Swiss Palmarian and the first non-Spanish Palmarian Pope, he took Pope Peter III as his Papal name.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.palmarianchurch.org/his-holiness-pope-peter-iii/|title=His Holiness Pope Peter III – Iglesia Cristiana Palmariana|website=www.palmarianchurch.org|access-date=2019-04-17}}</ref> It transpired that Ex-Pope Gregory XVIII had been involved in a relationship with an ex-Palmarian nun, Nieves Triviño and had absconded from El Palmar de Troya to marry her. Hernández was declared “Ex-Pope Gregory XVIII the Apostate” by the Palmarian Church, accusing him of stealing assets belonging to the Church and being extremely vainglorious, stating he was corrupted by lust (comparing him to the decadent Borgia [[Pope Alexander VI]]),{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=186}} stating also that a Pope should be a father not a tyrant.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=187}} Although acknowledging that no heresy was to be found in the ''Third Palmarian Council'', Pope Peter III declared that it had now been erased, as it had instituted many more “unnecessary Norms”, that Hernández was motivated by pride. This essentially rolled back ''The Norms'' to where they were in 2011.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=188}} Hernández spoke to the Spanish media, including ''[[El País]]'', defending himself and downplaying his mistress, claiming that, through study he had concluded that the original apparitions of [[Our Lady of Palmar]] had been genuine, but that they had been hijacked by Clemente and Manolo for financial manipulation.<ref name="elpais.com">{{Cite news|last=Martín-Arroyo|first=Javier|date=2016-06-09|title=El Papa de la Iglesia Palmariana acusa a su predecesor de robar joyas y un papamóvil|language=es|work=El País|url=https://elpais.com/politica/2016/06/09/actualidad/1465467438_693721.html|access-date=2021-11-29|issn=1134-6582}}</ref><ref name="Martín-Arroyo">{{Cite news|last=Martín-Arroyo|first=Javier|date=2016-05-23|title=La gran mentira de la Iglesia del Palmar de Troya|language=es|work=El País|url=https://elpais.com/politica/2016/05/21/actualidad/1463867670_909220.html|access-date=2021-11-29|issn=1134-6582}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Martín-Arroyo|first=Javier|date=2016-05-26|title=The Palmarian Catholic Church: a lie that lasted 40 years|url=https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2016/05/25/inenglish/1464158613_478208.html|access-date=2021-11-29|website=EL PAÍS English Edition|language=en}}</ref>

A serious incident occurred on 10 June 2018 at the [[Cathedral-Basilica of Our Crowned Mother of Palmar]] in El Palmar de Troya.<ref name="robbery">{{cite web |title=A Robber Ex-Pope and his Wife: From the Beginning to the End|date=25 May 2019 |url=https://magnuslundberg.net/2019/05/25/a-robber-ex-pope-and-his-wife-from-the-beginning-to-the-end/|publisher=Magnus Lundberg}} Retrieved on 9 November 2023.</ref> While most religious were inside celebrating Holy Mass, two would-be thieves in balaclavas scaled the walls of the compound with a telescopic ladder, armed with a knife, two clown masks, cable ties, duct tape, two pairs of pliers and a crowbar.<ref name="elmundo">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2019-05-17|title=El ex papa del Palmar de Troya, condenado a 6 años por intentar robar en la iglesia|url=https://www.elmundo.es/andalucia/2019/05/17/5cde9246fdddff30638b45fc.html|access-date=2021-11-29|website=El Mundo|language=es}}</ref><ref name="robbery"/> They were disturbed outside of the Cathedral-Basilica by a Palmarian bishop, Fr. Silvestre María, who was then attacked with a crowbar by the assailants, the noise from the struggle was overheard by another Palmarian bishop, Fr. Jesús María, who came to his assistance.<ref name="elmundo"/> It turned out that the two thieves were Ex-Pope Gregory XVIII the Apostate and his wife, Nieves Triviño.<ref name="robbery"/> All four parties were injured, but Hernández received a knife wound to the chest with the very knife he had brought, requiring evacuation by helicopter to a hospital in Seville.<ref name="robbery"/> The struggle had draw the attention of the other Palmarians from inside who called the ''[[Civil Guard (Spain)|Guardia Civil]]'' and the ''[[Emergency medical services in Spain|Servicios de Emergencias Médicas]]''.<ref name="robbery"/> After his condition was stabilised, Hernández underwent an extensive legal prosecution, eventually being convicted and sentenced to six years for “armed robbery, grave assault and assault” and Triviño for five. Ultimately, the duo were required to pay a large fine to the Palmarian bishops and their sentences were suspended.<ref name="robbery"/><ref name="elmundo"/>

Under Pope Peter III, initially, the new Palmarian Secretary of State was Fr. Benjamin María (Manuel Ambrosio Sánchez) and the Vice-Secretary of State was Fr. Abraham María (Paul Fox), a veteran Irish Palmarian who had been a Palmarian from the earliest days.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=185}} Despite the chaotic circumstances of his ascent to the Papacy, the less erratic style of the Swiss Pontiff has seen an expanding public profile for the Palmarian Catholic Church. Part of the reason for the renewed global interest was a result of the novelist [[Dan Brown]] publishing the fictional book ''[[Origin (Brown novel)|Origin]]'' in 2017, where the Palmarian Church plays a key role in the book's plot.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=190}} The Palmarian Church also established an online presence as part of its evangelisation projects, with a website in numerous different languages and opened accounts from 2019 onward on [[social media]] platforms such as [[Facebook]], [[Instagram]], [[Twitter]], [[Pinterest]], [[YouTube]] and [[TikTok]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Iglesia Catolica Palmariana|url=https://www.palmarianchurch.org/|access-date=2021-11-29|website=www.palmarianchurch.org}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2020-01-23|title=Palmarian Internet Presence|url=https://magnuslundberg.net/2020/01/23/palmarian-internet-presence/|access-date=2021-11-29|website=Magnus Lundberg|language=en}}</ref> allowing the general public to view its religious beliefs, modes of worship and public works.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=194}} During the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Spain]], there were a number of positives cases in the compound, including 4 deaths due to the virus, which drew media attention.<ref>{{cite web |title=Un cura fallecido, 34 infectados y 100 confinados por Covid-19 en la Iglesia del Palmar de Troya|date=15 January 2021 |url=https://www.huelvahoy.com/articulo/andalucia/un-cura-fallecido-34-infectados-y-100-confinados-por-covid-19-en-la-iglesia-del-palmar-de-troya/20210115160356159298.html|publisher=Huelva Hoy}} Retrieved on 9 November 2023.</ref><ref name="Cabanillas">{{cite news |last1=Cabanillas |first1=Fermín |title=Un brote en la secta del Palmar de Troya dispara los contagios en el municipio y le obliga a confinarse |url=https://www.eldiario.es/andalucia/sevilla/iglesia-palmarina-medio-siglo-extrana-fe-confinada-covid-palmar-troya_1_7013803.html |access-date=22 January 2021 |work=ElDiario.es |date=22 January 2021 |language=es}}</ref> Fr. Benjamin María was demoted as a consequence on 13 February 2021, with Fr. Abraham María raised to Palmarian Secretary of State and Fr. Jesús María (Alfredo Leonardo Villalba), an Argentine former military policeman raised to Palmarian Vice-Secretary of State.