Editing Palmarian Catholic Church (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of the Catholic Church|Timeline of the Catholic Church}}

===Background===
====Marian apparitions, Spain and the Second Vatican Council====
{{Main|Marian apparitions|Traditionalist Catholicism}}

[[File:Our Lady of La Salette.jpg|thumb|right|220px|The [[Virgin Mary]] as she would have appeared as [[Our Lady of La Salette]] in 1846. This initiated a series of [[Apocalypticism|apocalyptic]] Marian apparitions, warning modern man of a coming great chastisement.]]
A series of [[Marian apparitions]] starting in the 19th century have led to what Magnus Lundberg calls Marian Apocalyptic Movements.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=29}} These apparitions typically feature the [[Virgin Mary]] bearing an important [[eschatological]] message that warns humanity of a coming chastisement from God for its sinful behaviour and [[apostasy]] which will be followed by a period of peace and virtue for the faithful. When humanity then returns to its sinful ways, a more fearsome chastisement culminates in a final [[world war]] that marks the end of the world.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=32}} Some of these apparitions have been investigated by the [[Roman Catholic Church]] and declared worthy of belief and veneration.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=29}} Palmarians regard several as important steps on the way to the appearance of Our Lady of Palmar, specifically those of [[Our Lady of La Salette|La Salette]] (1846),{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=33}} [[Our Lady of Fátima|Fátima]] (1917),{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=35}} [[Ezkio]]ga (1931),{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=36}} [[Heroldsbach]] (1949),{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=39}} [[:pt:Maria da Conceição Mendes Horta|Ladeira do Pinheiro]] (1960),{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=42}} [[San Giorgio Piacentino|San Damiano]] (1961),{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=41}} and [[Our Lady of Garabandal|Garabandal]] (1961).{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=40}}

The apparitions of El Palmar de Troya took place in Spain at a time of religious and political upheaval, during the final decade that [[Francisco Franco]] was ''[[List of heads of state of Spain|Caudillo]]'' of the [[Francoist Spain|Spanish State]].{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=14}} The government had been established in the aftermath of the [[Spanish Civil War]] and during the war the nationalists identified themselves as engaged in a "[[Crusade]] against the [[Second Spanish Republic]] 1919-1939, international communism and freemasonry."{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=14}} Before and during the Civil War, many [[Red Terror (Spain)|Catholic clerics were killed]] by the republican side and in some places the [[Catholic Church]] had to go underground. After victory, under Franco, [[National Catholicism]] was adopted in Spain, whereby [[Spanishness]] and Catholicism were presented as being inseparable.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=15}} In the worldview of [[Francoism]], Spain was a "providential nation, being a faithful Catholic bulwark against [[liberalism]], [[Freemasonry]], [[Protestantism]] and [[communism]]".{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=15}} Spain was a [[confessional state]] and this broadly had the support of the church; however, by the 1940s, there was some concerns about the power of the state subordinating the church and after the [[Second Vatican Council]] in the 1960s, the high episcopacy, particularly Cardinal [[Vicente Enrique y Tarancón]] began to push against Franco for "reforms" and the creation of a more modern state.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=16}} This was not unanimous and some Spanish priests belonging to the ''[[:es:Hermandad Sacerdotal Española|Hermandad Sacerdotal Española]]'' backed Francoists against the new liberal-leaning line of the [[Spanish Episcopal Conference]] and the Vatican.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=17}}

Following the Second Vatican Council, which took place between 1962 and 1965, there emerged a new openness to [[religious liberty]], [[ecumenism]], [[interreligious dialogue]] and on the back of it, introduced in 1969, a [[New Order of Mass]].{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=44}} These changes scandalised traditionalists within the Catholic Church and an insurgent [[traditionalist Catholic]] movement emerged pushing back against this.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=44}} Prominent early figures included Frenchmen such as [[Georges de Nantes]], who founded the ''[[Ligue de la contre-réforme catholique]]''{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=44}} and Archbishop [[Marcel Lefebvre]] who founded the [[Society of St. Pius X]] (which became by far the most prominent).{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=45}} The early Palmarian themes were a part of this ''milleu'', with direct and indirect relationships with the traditionalist Catholic resistance worldwide, including the SSPX.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=74}} According to Lundberg, traditionalists refused to believe that "a true Catholic hierarchy would make such changes, and saw [[Modernism in the Catholic Church|modernist]], masonic and communist conspiracies".{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=44}} A common traditionalist theme of decrying "infiltration", raised questions about the complicity of the [[Pope]] himself: Lefebvre diplomatically criticised Pope Paul VI, but still considered him a true Pope. At the opposite end, by 1971, [[sedevacantists]] emerged who claimed that Paul VI was a non-Catholic [[antipope]] leading a new heretical religion,{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=47}} an early example of which is [[Joaquín Sáenz y Arriaga]].

====Apparitions of Our Lady of Palmar and Devotion to the Holy Face====
{{Main|Our Lady of Palmar|Holy Face of Jesus}}

[[File:VirgenCarmen Rute.jpg|thumb|right|220px|The [[Virgin Mary]] in the mantle of [[Our Lady of Mount Carmel]]. Her alleged appearance at [[Palmar de Troya]] from 1968 onwards formed the basis of the Palmarians.]]
On 30 March 1968, four Spanish Catholic girls,{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=42}}<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite journal|date=22 March 2005|periodical=El Mundo|title=Clemente Domínguez, el 'Papa' de El Palmar de Troya|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2005/03/22/obituarios/1111488599.html}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=37}} aged 12 and 13—Ana García, Rafaela Gordo, Ana Aguilera and Josefa Guzmán—reported that the [[Virgin Mary]] had appeared to them in the field of ''La Alcaparroa'' farm, close to the village of [[El Palmar de Troya]], which at that time was a district of the municipality of [[Utrera]], in the [[province of Seville]], [[Andalusia]], Spain.<ref>{{cite journal|date=9 May 1976|periodical=José Jiménez Lozano|title=El barroco asunto de El Palmar de Troya: Un aluvión de apariciones|url=https://www.infocatolica.com/blog/infories.php/1107230214-los-origenes-del-palmar-de-tr-1}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref>{{cite journal|date=14 April 1968|periodical=ABC|title=Las Supuestas apariciones del Palmar de Troya|url=http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/sevilla/abc.sevilla/1968/04/14/102.html}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> On 11 April 1968, a devout Catholic woman named Rosario Arenillas reported seeing the Virgin Mary with the mantle of [[Our Lady of Mount Carmel]] in the same place.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=38}} On 20 May 1968 a neighbor from Utrera named María Marín also said she had seen the Virgin in the same place.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=38}} On 6 June 1968, María Luisa Vila from [[Seville]] went to the farm and said she had a mystical ecstasy in which [[Jesus Christ]] administered communion to her and, according to witnesses, when she opened her mouth there was a [[Eucharistic miracle|bloody host]] inside.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=40}} In the summer of 1968, Antonio Romero, Manuel Fernández, José Navarro, Antonio Anillos and Arsenia Llanos also said they suffered [[Religious ecstasy|mystical ecstasies]] there.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=39}}

On 15 October 1968, [[Clemente Domínguez]] and [[Manuel Alonso Corral]] visited the site for the first time. Manuel "Manolo" Corral worked in an insurance brokerage{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=64}} that [[:es:Serafín Madrid|Serafín Madrid]] used to finance his charitable works. When Corral became involved in the situation at Palmar de Troya he was expelled from the insurance company (belief in the apparitions were strongly opposed by [[José Bueno y Monreal]], [[Archbishop of Seville]], who refused to examine the seers or even open up any enquiries).{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=65}}<ref name="patheos">Hall, Maria. (2016). [https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionnow/2016/04/the-palmarian-church-new-rome-or-fanatical-sect/ The Palmarian Church: New Rome or Fanatical Sect?]. Patheos</ref> On 15 August 1969, the two men attended a [[Holy Mass]] celebrated by a [[Jesuit]] priest there and during it María Luisa Vila said she had a vision of the Virgin ([[Josemaría Escrivá]], founder of [[Opus Dei]], drawn to mystical phenomenon, held a long interview with Vila who he had met previously at [[Jerez de la Frontera]], [[Province of Cádiz|Cádiz]]).<ref>Infante, Jésus. (2002). [https://www.opuslibros.org/libros/Santo_fundador/capitulo_1.htm Turbosantidad del Fundador del Opus Dei]. Opus Libros</ref> Later they ran into María Marín and [[Nectario María]] who said they had a vision of Jesus Christ. After this point, Domínguez and Corral visited far more frequently.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=57}} There they talked with the visionaries and witnessed their ecstasies and on 14 September 1969, both declared that they had an appearance of a luminous cross.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=58}}

[[File:Santa Faz, de Alonso López de Herrera (Museo de América, Madrid).jpg|thumb|left|220px| ''Santa Faz'' by Alonso López de Herrera. Based on alleged apparitions in 1969, devotion to the [[Holy Face]] of [[Jesus Christ]] would become a prominent aspect of the Palmarians.]]
On 30 September 1969, Rosario Arenillas and Domínguez said they had a vision of Jesus Christ and [[Padre Pio]].{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=59}} A few days later María Luisa Vila declared that she had the same vision.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=60}} On 8 December 1969, Domínguez claimed to have a vision in which the Virgin and the angels gave him a Dominican habit and on 10 December 1969, Domínguez said that [[Dominic de Guzmán]] had appeared to him to recommend praying the [[Rosary]] and the ''[[Pater Noster]]''. On 10 December 1969 he also said that [[Saint Joseph|Joseph]] appeared to him. On 12 December 1969, Domínguez said he had another vision of Dominic and next to him he said he saw the [[Holy Face of Jesus]]. Then he said that Dominic had given him the message that he should expand devotion to the Holy Face, the [[Stations of the Cross]] and the [[Acts of reparation|reparative communion]] on the [[First Thursdays Devotion|first Thursday]] of each month, to repair the outrages to the divine face of the Lord. Domínguez and Corral began to carry a portrait of the Holy Face for prayers in which ecstasy occurred.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=62}}

Domínguez claimed to suffer [[stigmata]] of the [[Five Holy Wounds|Holy Wounds]] during his visions, such as a cross-shaped cut on his forehead{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=77}} and cuts on his hands.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=103}} These visions and stigmata, according to Domínguez himself, also occurred in the boarding house in Seville where he lived. At one point he revealed a 10-centimeter cut on his side, which was a supposed stigmata, representing where Jesus Christ had been pierced in his side by Roman soldier [[Longinus]] with the [[Holy Lance]].{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|pp=108, 109 & 111}} On 16 July 1970, a supposed Marian apparition told him that the waters from a well in the area were miraculous and that it produced healings.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=84}} A [[Pistacia lentiscus|mastic tree]] in the area became the main location associated with some of the visions and on 2 February 1970, the believers put a picture of the Holy Face on it (in Palmarian discourse this is called the "Sacred Place of the Lentisco"). A large number of people were drawn to El Palmar de Troya, with 40,000 people witnessing one of Domínguez' mystical ecstasies and his stigmata.<ref name="elc"/> On 2 February 1970 they put a photo of the Holy Face in the mastic and on 2 March 1972, an image of the ''Divina Pastora'' was blessed. The Virgin of Palmar was placed in the mastic on 12 September 1972.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=62}} On 8 February 1971, there was a reported apparition of Jesus Christ in the mastic to encourage the faithful who gathered at the farm.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=80}}

With the duo of Domínguez and Corral now the people most closely associated with visions at Palmar; the former the visionary stigmatist and the latter the one who wrote down, copied and distributed the information; they set about spreading the message far beyond Spain. The visions were translated into [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]] and [[German language|German]] languages and the newsletter, ''Ecos del Palmar'', was published from [[Barcelona]] by supporter Jóse María Andreu Magri from 1972.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=58}} In the early 1970s, as well as receiving donations form ordinary Catholic followers, they gained some substantial benefactors.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=58}} Most notably, the Baroness de Castillo Chirel, then 90 years old, a devout Catholic woman who had been a follower of Garabandal, gave Domínguez and Corral a donation of 16 million pesatas in 1972 (worth roughly €1.8 million in 2023).{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=59}}<ref name=revista>{{cite journal|author=Moisés Garrido Vázquez|date=March 2008|number=84|periodical=Misterios y fenómenos insólitos|title=El Palmar de Troya: Cuatro décadas de integrismo mariano|url=http://www.ignaciodarnaude.com/ufologia/Rev.%20Misterios,Marzo-2008.pdf}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> As part of their quest to spread the message, throughout the 1970s, the duo, often joined by their ally, Carmelo Pacheco Sánchez (1948–1997), they travelled throughout Spain and Western Europe, before eventually making annual trips across the Atlantic to [[Latin America]] and the [[United States]]. The traffic was not all one way, as pilgrims came to visit El Palmar de Troya from many different countries in the Catholic world, with [[Irish people]] and [[German-speaking people]] ([[Germans]], [[Austrians]] and [[Swiss people]]) being overrepresented.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=107}}{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=108}}

They went to [[Rome]] several times, first on 8 July 1970, where Clemente jumped over a barrier, avoiding [[Swiss Guard]], to kneel before a procession of Pope Paul VI and present a letter (taken by a priest).<ref name="perlado">Perlado, Miguel (1976). [https://hemerosectas.org/palmar-de-troya-12/ El barroco asunto del Palmar de Troya]. HemeroSectas</ref> Corral claimed later the Palmarians met with Cardinal [[Alfredo Ottaviani]] who informed Paul VI. Earlier, on 27 December 1969, they attempted to deliver a letter to the Spanish head of state, Francisco Franco, asking him to read a secret from God to the Spanish nation as part of his end-of-year speech.<ref name="perlado"/> The duo turned up at ''[[Royal Palace of El Pardo|El Pardo]]'' unannounced and ''ad hoc'' meetings were not accepted, they were instead directed to deliver the letter to his private secretariat in the ''[[Royal Palace of Madrid|Palacio de Oriente]]''.<ref name="perlado"/> Stopping off to pray at a Carmelite church on the way, Domínguez had a vision of the Virgin Mary who told him he had been deceived by the devil and to not deliver the letter.<ref name="perlado"/> Another substantial benefactor, gained during their trips to the United States, was the business woman Marguerite Mary Paul (1921–2001) from [[Necedah (town), Wisconsin|Necedah]], [[Wisconsin]] and her husband.<ref>The Daily Tribune (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin) (2001). [https://wisconsinrapidstribune.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-tribune-marquerite-paul-obit/22292514/ Marguerite Paul Obituary]. The Daily Tribune</ref><ref name=revista/><ref group=lower-alpha>Although compared to their presence in Europe and Latin America (as well as later Africa), the Palmarian following in the [[United States]] was modest in terms of numbers, they had a localised spike in Wisconsin. In 1949, at [[Necedah (town), Wisconsin|Necedah]] there had been Marian apparitions witnessed by Mary Ann Van Hoof (1909–1984), which the Vatican did not accept. Thus a groundwork had been prepared before the Palmarians arrived in the town. The [[Necedah Shrine]], known officially as Queen of the Holy Rosary, Mediatrix of Peace Shrine, exists in the town.</ref> By 1974 Domínguez and Corral were able to purchase the 15,000 square meter plot of land at ''La Alcaparroa''.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=60}} Following an alleged apparition of Jesus Christ on 30 May 1975, the devotees of Palmar were requested to construct a sanctuary at ''La Alcaparroa''.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=96}} Along with the money from donors, a loan was taken out from the Central Bank of Utrera in the name Francisco González, Carlos Girón and Manuel Alonso.{{sfn|Gómez Burón|Martín Alonso|1976|p=96}}

====Foundation of the Carmelites of the Holy Face====
[[File:Coat of Arms of Discalced Carmelites Order.svg|thumb|right|200px|Coat of arms of the Carmelites of the Holy Face, in common with historical usage by [[Carmelites]].]]
Although there were a few ordained priests of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] who were supporters of Our Lady of Palmar and the direction taken by Domínguez and Corral, the majority of those associated with the movement were at that point [[laymen]], as were most of the pilgrims. The nucleus of an organisation began to develop through cenacles (prayer-groups), where the participants referred to themselves as Marian Apostles, or Apostles of the Cross (also Cross Bearers).{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=69}} On 30 November 1975, just ten days after the death of Spanish head of state, Francisco Franco, Domínguez claimed to have a vision of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, announcing that a new religious order would be founded by the Palmarians.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=70}} This order would be a synthesis of "the best" elements of all previous [[Catholic religious orders]] and they were to be the "Apostles of the Last Times" (a reference to the prophecies of [[Louis de Montfort]], a noted Mariologist).{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=70}} With Domínguez himself as General, the order was revealed to the world as the Order of the [[Carmelites]] of the Holy Face on 22 December 1975.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=71}} It was announced that it would have three classes; [[friars]] (for the [[Priesthood in the Catholic Church|priests]] and [[Christian monasticism|brothers]]), [[nun|religious sisters]] and [[third order|tertiaries]] (i.e. — laypeople), each wearing a Carmelite habit and a [[brown scapular]], with the images of the Holy Face of Jesus and Our Lady of Palmar.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=71}}

A major issue that facing the order at the beginning was that it wished to have more ordained priests and indeed consecrated bishops (both Domínguez and Corral wanted this for themselves in particular, as they were officially laymen). They could not rely on the assistance of the local ordinary, Cardinal [[José Bueno y Monreal]], of the [[Archdiocese of Seville]], due to his blanket opposition to anything to do with El Palmar de Troya. Nevertheless, it was ideologically important for the Carmelites of the Holy Face, to receive legitimate [[holy orders]] using the old rite of ordination, from a verifiable bishop of the Catholic Church with (in the Catholic view) undoubted [[apostolic succession]], in communion with Pope Paul VI. The most visible bishop publicly associated with traditionalists was Archbishop [[Marcel Lefebvre]] of the [[Society of St. Pius X]] and the Palmarians had a significant sympathiser within the society, in the form of Maurice Revaz,<ref>Rider, Nick. (2014). [https://www.nick-rider.com/blog/palmar-de-troya/ Journeys to the Bizarre: the Basilica of Palmar de Troya]. Nick-Rider.com</ref><ref group=lower-alpha>Revaz, interested in mythical theories, shared the same belief as the Palmarians on the status of [[Pope Paul VI]]: not only was he a true Pope, but a great [[victim soul]], who was being held hostage in the Vatican by the freemasons who had supposedly infiltrated the Curia. In this conspiratorial telling, these freemasons were supposedly drugging the Pope and in some cases forging his signature on heterodox documents, including for the New Mass. He even proposed to Lefebvre a "mission" to rescue the Pope, but this was dismissed.{{harvnb|Lundberg|2020|p=74}}</ref> a canon of the Swiss [[Great St Bernard Hospice|Abbey of Grand-Saint-Bernard]] who was teaching at the [[International Seminary of Saint Pius X]] at [[Écône]], [[Switzerland]].{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=72}} Revaz asked Lefebvre if he would go to El Palmar de Troya for this purpose, but he declined, pointing them instead to the exiled Vietnamese Archbishop [[Ngô Đình Thục]] with the words "He is orthodox and he is not at present occupied. Go and seek him out. He will most certainly agree with your request."{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=75}}
[[File:Ngô Đình Thục.png|thumb|left|200px|Archbishop [[Ngô Đình Thục]], a prelate of the [[Roman Catholic Church]], ordained and then consecrated clergy for the Carmelites of the Holy Face in El Palmar de Troya.]]
Revaz, along with the McElligotts,<ref name="cc">Chase, Thomas W. (1993). [https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4082 Tridentine Rite Conference and Its Schismatic Cousins, The (Part 1)]. Fidelity Magazine</ref> an Irish Palmarian family who had property in Switzerland, {{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=73}} drove from Switzerland to Rome to approach the Vietnamese archbishop. Revaz and Thục were already familiar with each other as they had both previously met as pilgrims to El Palmar de Troya in 1974. The background of Archbishop Ngô Đình Thục is that he was previously made the [[Archbishop of Huế]], [[South Vietnam|Vietnam]] by [[Pope John XXIII]], but due to the [[1963 South Vietnamese coup d'état]] which killed several close members of his family, he was living in exile in [[Rome]].{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=71}} In 1968, Paul VI had made him the Titular Archbishop of [[Bulla Regia]]. Outraged by the murder of his relatives and deeply [[anti-communist]], he was in good standing in Rome<ref name="spect">[[Damian Thompson|Thompson, Damian]]. (2017). [https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/cult-classic/ Cult classic]. [[The Spectator]]</ref> but increasingly disillusioned with their "diplomatic" approach to communism and started to draw closer to traditionalism in his exile. Revaz convinced Thục that the Virgin Mary sent him to render her a service and that they must leave immediately to [[Andalusia]], he agreed and the party took a three-day car journey to El Palmar de Troya and Thục was celebrating the [[Pontifical High Mass]] there with the Carmelites of the Holy Face by Christmas Eve 1975.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=71}}

While in El Palmar de Troya, on 31 December 1975, without the permission of the local ordinary at Seville, Thục ordained five men of the Carmelites of the Holy Face to the priesthood,{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=71}} conferring holy orders on the two Spaniards; Clemente Domínguez (who took the religious name Ferdinand) and Manuel Alonso Corral (who took the religious name Isidore), the two Irishmen; Paul Gerald Fox (who took the religious name Abraham) and Francis Coll (who took the religious name Gabriel), as well as the Frenchman; Louis Henri Moullins (who took the religious name Zacarias).{{sfn|Garrido Vázquez|2010|p=155}} Following this, the now Father Ferdinand claimed to have a vision from the Virgin Mary declaring that the Carmelites of the Holy Face needed to have bishops consecrated and as proof of this an alleged [[miracle]] was performed, as she had placed the [[Infant Jesus]] in his hands (invisible to the human eye), which Domínguez then passed to Archbishop Thục, who supposedly felt the weight of the Infant in his hands and agreed to the consecrations.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=75}} On 11 January 1976, in a five-hour ceremony through the night, Thục consecrated five Palmarians to the [[episcopacy]], including two men who he had just ordained as priests (Domínguez and Corral), in addition to three priests who had previously been ordained to the priesthood by the Roman Catholic Church, before the visions of Our Lady of Palmar; [[Camilo Estévez (bishop)|Camilo Estévez Puga]] (1924–1997; a Spaniard also known as Leandro), Francis Bernard Sandler (1917–1992; an American Catholic convert from [[Rabbinic Judaism]] who was a [[Benedictine]] and had served as a parish priest in Sweden, also known as Fulgencio) and finally Michael Thomas Donnelly (1927–1982; an Irish priest from [[Belfast]] from the [[Company of Mary]], who within two months left the Palmarians).{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=76}}

[[File:Papa Paolo VI.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Palmarians recognised [[Pope Paul VI]] as a true Pope, but claimed that he was a suffering [[victim soul]] for the church, held prisoner and drugged in the Vatican by [[Masonic conspiracy theory|Masonic infiltrators]].]]
The Vatican, through first Cardinal Bueno, then their Nuncio to Spain [[Luigi Dadaglio]] and finally [[Franjo Šeper]]'s [[Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]], quickly moved against Thục and the Palmarians.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=77}} They did not question the validity of the orders as such, but essentially declared that they were canonically illicit or irregular, due to not having permission, that they were ''ipso iure'' suspended from exercising their powers and ''ipso facto'' [[Excommunication in the Catholic Church|excommunicated]].{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=77}}{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=78}}<ref name="vat">{{cite web |title=Decree concerning certain unlawful priestly and episcopal ordinations|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19760917_illegitimas-ordinationes_en.html|publisher=[[Vatican.va]]}} Retrieved on 9 November 2023.</ref> The Palmarians for their part, declared their loyalty to Pope Paul VI and argued that the claim of excommunication was illegitimate, claiming that in 1938, [[Pope Pius XI]] had granted Archbishop Thục the special power to ordain priests and bishops without requiring further permission.<ref name="ord">{{cite web |title=Ordinations and Consecrations in El Palmar de Troya|url=https://www.palmarianchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Ordinations-and-Consecrations-in-El-Palmar-English.pdf|publisher=Palmarian Church}} Retrieved on 9 November 2023.</ref> Regardless, in the eyes of the Palmarians, the Roman Curia was categorised as being packed with masonic infiltrators, who were supposedly drugging Pope Paul VI and holding him hostage in the Vatican. In relation to this, Domínguez had another vision in January 1976, where it is claimed Jesus Christ told him to consecrate more bishops and create an episcopal college for Pope Paul VI to come and govern the church from El Palmar de Troya.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=83}} With Thục now fading into the background, the Palmarians under their own initiative between 1976 and 1978 had consecrated 91 additional bishops (mostly Irish and Spaniards, over 40% split almost evenly between these two nationalities, with the rest from mostly German-speaking Europe, as well as English, Nigerians, Argentines, Australians and many more different nations).{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=83}}

In May 1976, a major incident occurred while five Palmarian bishops were returning from a trip to [[Derval]], [[Brittany]], [[France]], as there was a serious automobile crash in the [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]].{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=82}} The glass from the windshield shattered and went into the eyes of the General of the Order, Domínguez. Not only was he completely blinded by the incident, but the damage was such that he had to have his eyeballs surgically removed at [[San Sebastián]] hospital.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=82}} The party had gone to Derval to deal with a crisis where a couple of Palmarian bishops there had gone across to the mystic, Pierre Poulain. According to the Palmarians, the devil attacked the car, after Poulain cast a [[black magic]] spell on his rival Domínguez.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=83}} The Spanish media began to call him the "blind-seer." After months of silence, Domínguez reported a vision of Jesus Christ in September 1976, in which Christ is quoted as saying "No one should think that the palm-tree is lying down. It is more upright than ever because victory is found in the passion and crucifixion. Then comes the resurrection."{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=85}} Christ is then quoted as saying that he is preparing Domínguez to be a future Pope.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=85}} God had thus allowed the blinding as a trial, a test of faith and a cross to bear, if he prevailed, he would prove himself worthy of the Papacy.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=85}}
{{Blockquote|text=[[Pope Saint Paul VI]] lived in the Vatican surrounded by enemies, who acted as gaolers and tormentors. This holy Pope passed the days of his pontificate subjected to large doses of drugs, which were administered to him by his tormentors. These were cardinals, bishops, priests and so forth. Among these tormentors there stand out Cardinal [[Jean Villot]], Cardinal [[Giovanni Benelli]], Cardinal [[Sebastiano Baggio|Sebastian Baggio]], Cardinal [[Ugo Poletti|Poletti]],—and among others there also stands out [[Agostino Casaroli|Casaroli]], of the Vatican's diplomatic service, the great traitor, who opened the gates for satanical dialogue with the Marxists. Pope Saint Paul VI is not guilty of the heresies introduced, since he was coerced and drugged. Also the holy Pontiff's signature was forged, and in addition, falsified documents were promulgated. The Masons and other infiltrated heretics in the [[Roman Curia]] reached the point of destroying the Catholic Mass, changing it and putting in its place the [[Mass of Paul VI|heretical Mass]] of the great Mason and traitor [[Annibale Bugnini|Bugnini]].<BR><BR> We give guarantee and assurance, pledging Our word in the name of Christ, that the life of Pope Saint Paul VI was exemplary and virtuous. This holy Pope gave himself up completely to prayer and penance, and, of course, to continual self-sacrifice, his pontificate having been a sorrowful ascent to Calvary. This holy Pope was vilely murdered by the traitors of the Roman Curia.|author=Pope Gregory XVII|source=''Twenty-Fourth Document'', 24 October 1978.<ref name="clementedocs"/>}}

===The Holy See at El Palmar de Troya===
====Reign of Pope Gregory XVII the Very Great====
[[File:Tiara of Pope Pius VII, 1805.jpg|thumb|right|200px|An example of a [[papal tiara]]. [[Clemente Domínguez]] claimed to have been mystically crowned Pope of the Catholic Church by Jesus Christ in an apparition. He took the name Pope Gregory XVII.]]
Pope Paul VI died on 6 August 1978 and according to the Palmarians (who consider him a [[Christian martyr]]), the Pope was supposedly "vilely murdered by the traitors of the Roman Curia" (specifically, they claim he was poisoned to death by [[Vatican Secretary of State]], Cardinal [[Jean-Marie Villot]]).<ref name="clementedocs"/> At the time of his passing, the General of the Order of the Carmelites of the Holy Face and other top Palmarian bishops, were in [[Bogotá]], [[Colombia]], as part of their regular trips across the Atlantic Ocean to see to their followers and attempt to recruit more clergy. While waiting to be deported from Colombia, a few hours after the death of Pope Paul VI, Domínguez reported an apparition, in which a mystical [[papal coronation]] ceremony took place, where he was crowned [[Sovereign Pontiff]] of the [[One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church]] by Jesus Christ himself, with [[Saint Peter|Peter]] and [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] in attendance, as well as the recently deceased Pope Paul VI.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=87}} Although confessing to be but a poor sinner, from now on he would be referred to by Palmarian believers as Pope Gregory XVII and the [[Holy See]] of the Catholic Church would no longer be in Rome, but in El Palmar de Troya. The motto he took was ''[[Gloria Olivae]]'', drawn from the [[Prophecy of the Popes]], a Christian apocalyptic writing.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=88}}

After returning to [[Seville]], Domínguez held a consistory which selected a Palmarian [[College of Cardinals]], with 24 Palmarian bishops raised to rank of [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]], including his close friend Corral.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=88}} Having kept details of the "celestial" papal enthronement from the press, the public papal coronation ceremony took place on 15 August 1979, where four Palmarian cardinals (including Corral) placed the [[papal tiara]] on his head.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=88}}{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=89}} Domínguez had claimed since the early 1970s that Pope Paul VI would be succeeded by a true Pope and an [[Antipope]].{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=84}} Thus, when the Vatican declared [[Albino Luciani]] as the new Pope on 26 August 1978, he was portrayed in a Palmarian Papal pronouncement by Pope Gregory XVII as a usurper, "that clown of an Antipope, Cardinal Luciani, called [[John Paul I]]" with his "false smile".<ref name="clementedocs"/> The Vatican for their part decided to [[Papal inauguration|inaugurate]] Luciani, instead of the traditional papal coronation.<ref>Kosloski, Philip. (2022). [https://aleteia.org/2022/09/04/why-john-paul-i-refused-a-papal-coronation-ceremony/ Why John Paul I refused a papal coronation ceremony]. Aleteia</ref> This supposed Vatican "Antipope" was in place for only a month before being replaced by [[Pope John Paul II]]. (In his ''Twenty-Fourth Document'' on 24 October 1978, Domínguez used his claimed authority to "[[excommunicate]] and anathematise the Antipope Cardinal Wojtyla", who is described as a "[[marxist]] spy" who infiltrated the church as a youth, stating in addition, "we hurl excommunication also at all followers of this Antipope").<ref name="clementedocs"/> The reigns of Pope Gregory XVII in El Palmar de Troya and John Paul II in the Vatican were closely synchronised, both lasting from 1978 until 2005.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=89}}<ref>Eduardo del Campo. [http://www.elmundo.es/cronica/2005/493/1111878014.html "Y Clemente ascendió a «sus» cielos"]. ''[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo Crónica]]'', 27 March 2005, Nº 493.</ref> These Roman "Antipopes" were called precursors of the [[Antichrist]] by the Palmarians.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=89}}

{{Blockquote|text=My son: now you can see how rotten and corrupt the official church, the [[Latin Church|Roman Church]] is. Through her fornication, she has become the [[Great Whore]]. It is she who is in pact with the enemies of Christ. It is she who respects all religions. It is she who preaches truths and lies at the same time. This Roman church is now nourished by a beast, the usurper [[John Paul II]]—the [[One true church|true church]] is no longer Roman. The true church is Palmarian, as you have preached yourself, assisted by the [[Holy Ghost]]. It is no longer possible to be Roman, as the [[Holy See]] has been moved by the order of Christ.|author=Message of an alleged apparition of the Virgin Mary to Pope Gregory XVII|source=''[[Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal]], [[Paris]]'', 9 August 1979.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=90}}}}

From 1978 until 1997, Palmarian Church leadership consisted of the following: Pope Gregory XVII at the very top, with the role of [[Secretary of State]] held by Cardinal Isidore (Corral) underneath and the number three position in the hierarchy was held by the Vice-Secretary of State, Cardinal Elias (Carmelo Pacheco Sánchez).{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=94}} All three were Spaniards, which led to some complaints from the membership, but they simply insisted that they were the most suitable men for the jobs as "three [[Spanish Fighting Bull|apocalyptic bulls]] who attack heretics with their mystical horns."{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=91}} The dynamic was that the Pope was the charismatic visionary and seer, while Corral, who he relied on to record everything, was the intellectual ''[[éminence grise]]''. Some of the Palmarian bishops and laymen were unwilling to take the leap of accepting the claims of Domínguez to the Papacy and the Holy See moving to El Palmar de Troya, deciding to leave (some reconciled with Rome, others drifted away from religion). Some examples include Palmarian bishops, Maurice Revaz (who took the religious name Hermenegildo) and [[Alfred Seiwert-Fleige]] (who took the religious name Athanasius). Domínguez and twelve Cardinals in 1979 made an apostolic journey from El Palmar de Troya to the [[Holy Land]], passing through places outside of Spain which had a significant number of Palmarian faithful such as [[Switzerland]], [[Austria]], [[Germany]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[France]], [[United Kingdom|Great Britain]] and [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]].{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=89}}

Between 1978 and 1980, a total of forty-seven pontifical documents were published, before the opening of the First Palmarian Council. These covered the [[canonisation]] of over 1,000 new saints,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chryssides|first=George D.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WA12nHRtmAwC&pg=PA268|title=Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements|publisher=[[The Scarecrow Press]]|year=2012|isbn=9780810861947|edition=2nd|location=Lanham, Md.|pages=268|language=English|quote=The church has also canonized Francisco Franco, Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albas, Christopher Columbus, and Paul VI.}}</ref> the promulgation of various [[Mariological]] and [[Saint Joseph|Josephine]] dogmas, excommunications of "heretics", anathemas against freemasonry (especially), communism and capitalism, declarations of new [[Doctors of the Church]], declaring as anathema anyone who "dare to condemn the marvelous work of the [[Holy Inquisition]]," calling on all nations to enact the [[death penalty]] for [[abortion]] (a "monstrous crime"), condemnations of the Vatican "Anti-Papacy", declaring the [[New Order of Mass]] anathema and stating that although the [[Holy Ghost]] convoked the [[Second Vatican Council]], he was expelled from it by the majority of apostate bishops who were agents of freemasonry and even though some Catholic truths were present in the documents, due to Pope Paul VI being "drugged" and questions as to the authenticity of his signature on the documents, these aspects alone "invalidates the Council."<ref name="clementedocs"/>

[[File:Aparición de la Virgen a Sor María de Jesús de Agreda.png|thumb|right|240px|[[María de Jesús de Ágreda]], author of the ''Mystical City of God''. The writings of the Spanish mystic from the [[Conceptionists]], influenced the doctrinal works of the First Palmarian Council.]]
Within the Palmarian Catholic Church, the First Palmarian Council (1980–1992) is recognised as the 21st [[ecumenical council]] of the Catholic Church, following on from the [[Council of Trent]] (1545–1563) and the [[First Vatican Council|Vatican Council]] (1869–1870), with the supposed "Second Vatican Council" having been declared as invalid.<ref name="clementedocs"/> At the opening session on 30 March 1980, the ''Palmarian Credo'' was published, which lays out the basic teachings of the Church.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=202}} As part of the council, the ''Latin-Tridentine-Palmarian Rite'' of the Holy Mass was introduced on 9 October 1983. The final doctrinal work resulting from the twelve-year Council was the ''Treatise of the Mass'' (1992).{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=202}} This work takes the form of an allegorical interpretation of [[Latin Vulgate|sacred scripture]] from the context of the [[Holy Sacrifice of the Mass]], including the lives of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, elaborated by the visions of Pope Gregory XVII, as well as integrating the works of Catholic mystics of a Marian apocalyptic bent, such as [[Maria de Jesús Ágreda]] (1602–1665) and [[Anna Katharina Emmerich]] (1774–1824).{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=207}}

A significant incident occurred on 19 May 1982, which furthered the conflict between Palmarians and the outside world. Pope Gregory XVII and a number of Palmarian bishops were visiting the Basilica of the Annunciation of Our Lady of [[Discalced Carmelites]] of [[Alba de Tormes]], near [[Salamanca]], which is the final resting place of St. [[Teresa of Ávila]]. Before the arrival of the Palmarians, there had been rumours spread that they intended to remove the relics of St. Teresa and take them back to El Palmar de Troya.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=224}} While walking through the convent, the allegedly drunk Pope, along with his Palmarian bishops, shouted that John Paul II was an Antipope and told visiting women who were wearing trousers (considered immodest dress by the Palmarians) that they were whores.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=224}} The Palmarian clerics were then set upon by a large number of local people, who attacked some of the bishops and tipped one of their vehicles into the [[River Tormes]]; they took refuge in the convent until the ''[[Guardia Civil]]'' could disperse the mob.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=224}} As a direct response, between 30 and 31 July 1982, Pope Gregory XVII issued a number of decrees which stated that only Palmarians could receive grace and indulgencies from [[holy relics]] and images, but for members of "apostate, heretical and schismatic churches", such powers were now withdrawn, veiled to them and they could derive no supernatural value.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=225}} They also declared that outside of the Palmarian Catholic Church, all powers of bishops, presbyters and deacons were now withdrawn by Pope Gregory XVII, meaning that outside of the Palmarian Church, no other alleged clergyman with [[holy orders]] could validly claim to exercise their power or have the right to legitimately perform any act of priestly ministry, including those pertaining to the [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|holy sacraments of the Church]].<ref name="pc"/>

====''The Sacred History'' and the Great Expulsion====
[[Image:El profeta Elías en el desierto confortado por un ángel, de Felipe Gil de Mena (Museo Nacional de Escultura de Valladolid).jpg|thumb|right|230px|Pope Gregory XVII claimed in 1997 to have a vision of the [[Prophet Elias]], who told him that errors had been introduced into the Bible over centuries and needed to be "purified."]]
The Church leadership was shaken in 1997, as the number three and four in the Palmarian hierarchy: the Vice-Secretary, Fr. Elias María (Carmelo Pacheco Sánchez) and Fr. Leandro María (Camilo Estévez Puga) had died within two months of each other (Pacheco died in an automobile incident, hit by a truck). With this the Pope lost two of his stalwart supporters and most trusted advisors, which affected him deeply.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=94}} Fr. Sergio María ([[Ginés Jesús Hernández]]), another Spaniard, who had been an [[electrician]] became the number three in the Church. Pope Gregory XVII reported a vision in 1997 where the [[Prophet Elias]] allegedly appeared to him and said that the enemies of God (elsewhere described as "Jews and Masons"){{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=124}} had at various historical junctures, distorted the pure word of God, which had originally been announced in the world by his Holy Prophets and that these groups had instead introduced adulterations, simulations and falsifications, which had distorted the original texts of sacred scripture (including in what would become the ''[[Latin Vulgate]]'', traditionally favoured by the Catholic Church) and that its contents must thus be purified to "remove errors" and allow the doctrinally infallible, "purified Bible, full of light" to be accessible to mankind for the Last Times.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=123}} The process in which this "purified" Bible, later to be called the ''[[Sacred History or Holy Palmarian Bible]]'' (2001), would be brought forward, was known as the Second Palmarian Council and it ran from between 1995 and 2002.

As part of this reviewing process, members of the Palmarian Church, including the clergy, were asked to hand in their old Catholic bibles based on the ''Vulgate'' or the ''[[Septuagint]]'' to be destroyed (which some opposed, saying that if they did so they could not even study ''Treatise of the Mass'', which references it throughout).<ref>{{cite web |title=Palmarian History or Palmarian Bible! |url=http://geocities.com/palmardetroyaarchidona2/cartas/Carta4b.htm|publisher=El Palmar de Troya en Archidona|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829024145/http://geocities.com/palmardetroyaarchidona2/cartas/Carta4b.htm |archive-date=29 August 2009 }} Retrieved on 9 November 2023.</ref>{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=125}} During this time, there had been a decline in numbers in the Palmarian Church and even among those who remained a significant number of believers, both religious (bishops and nuns) and sympathetic laymen, began to quietly doubt the Pope's [[mental health]] and conduct, questioning in particular the orthodoxy of the proposals of the Second Palmarian Council on the Bible (to be "purified" with "''[[The Sacred History or Holy Palmarian Bible]]''") and other aspects, considering them rash changes.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=124}}<ref>{{cite web |title=A Guide of Reference to Some of the Errors in the Heretical Palmarian Bible or Palmarian History|url=http://geocities.com/palmardetroyaarchidona2/cartas/Carta24.htm|publisher=El Palmar de Troya en Archidona|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829040506/http://geocities.com/palmardetroyaarchidona2/cartas/Carta24.htm |archive-date=29 August 2009 }} Retrieved on 9 November 2023.</ref> This group also raised concerns about the more intense application of the Palmarian Moral Code (also known as "The Norms"), which they accused of moving the Palmarian Church away from the traditional moral and pastoral Catholic theology to a coercive rigorism, which induced extreme [[scrupulosity]] and forced family members to cut off all communications (i.e. - social [[shunning]]) with those who had been "legitimately excommunicated", rather than seeking their reconciliation through dialogue with those who had fallen away.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Pope is Sick? Unbalanced? The Possibility Objectively Considered in the Light of Events Since 1995|url=http://www.geocities.com/palmardetroyaarchidona2/cartas/Carta8.htm|publisher=El Palmar de Troya en Archidona|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712225122/http://www.geocities.com/palmardetroyaarchidona2/cartas/Carta8.htm |archive-date=12 July 2007 }} Retrieved on 9 November 2023.</ref><ref name="believe"/>

[[Image:Baldung%2C_Hans_-_Deluge_-_1516.jpg|thumb|left|230px|Pope Gregory XVII in his later reign called himself the "Apocalyptic [[Noah]]" and compared the numerically reduced, but defiant remnant, the Palmarian Church, to the [[Noah's Ark|Ark of Salvation]].]]
As the Palmarian Catholic Church had moved toward the new millennium, the first signs of an internal issue had begun to emerge on 30 March 1995, as the Palmarian Cardinalate was suppressed, meaning there would not be a [[conclave]] after the Pope's death.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=125}} As the decade wore on, the dissident Palmarians began to discuss their concerns secretly among themselves, with [[burner phones]] and the like to hide their communications, though control over members had increased by this time, with strict rules on personal conduct beginning to be brought in.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=126}} Indiscreet communications led to the Palmarian leadership uncovering the dissident network. Fr. Sergio (Ginés Jesús Hernández) made his mark by playing a role in their "unmasking". A knife that was discovered in one of the rooms of the dissidents was presented to the Pope as part of a [[conspiracy to murder]] him. Fearful of a "[[coup]]", the Pope proclaimed on 24 October 2000, that Fr. Isidore (Corral) was to be his Papal successor.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=131}}

Finally, on 5 November 2000, the matter of the dissidents came to a head: eighteen Palmarian bishops and seven Palmarian nuns were anathematised and excommunicated, expelled from the property and declared ex-Palmarian.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=127}} Ex-Fr. Isaac María (José Antonio Perales Salvatella), the former confessor to the Pope{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=126}} was declared as the heresiarch in chief, a new [[Martin Luther]],{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=131}} as a "founder of an anti-church or tenebrous sect", leader of a conspiracy to overthrow the Pope.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=127}} Many members of this group moved to [[Archidona]], near [[Málaga]] and continued to proclaim themselves as Palmarians, but now [[sedevacantist]], claiming that the Pope had fallen into error and lost the Chair of St. Peter.<ref name="believe">{{cite web |title=What We Believe|url=http://www.geocities.com/palmardetroyaarchidona/believe.htm|publisher=El Palmar de Troya en Archidona|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070321090010/http://www.geocities.com/palmardetroyaarchidona/believe.htm |archive-date=21 March 2007 }} Retrieved on 9 November 2023.</ref>{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=128}} Some even set up in [[Paraguay]] for a while.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=129}} Others, such as, Ex-Fr. Guido María (Robert McCormack) and Ex-Fr. Dámaso María (Juan Marquez), moved away from Palmarianism completely, declaring it a fraud and accusing the Church of perpetuating psychological abuse, with the dawning of the [[internet]] became vocal anti-Palmarian activists.{{sfn|Lundberg|2020|p=130}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Un ex Cardenal de El Palmar habla de estafa, abuso psicológico y sexo en la secta|date=24 June 2018 |url=http://confidencialandaluz.com/palmar-troya-ex-cardenal-testimonio-secta-abusos/|publisher=Confidencial Andaluz}} Retrieved on 9 November 2023.</ref>

====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.