Editing Palmarian Catholic Church (section)

===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.