Editing Palmarian Catholic Church (section)

====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"/>}}