Introduction to the Palmarian Church: Part Two

Click Here To Read Part One

In part one, we finished with the Thuc Consecrations in 1976, where Clemente Dominguez, Manuel Corral and three other priests became bishops. Dominguez was now Bishop Primate of Palmar De Troya, Father Ferdinand.

We restart the story in 1978, while Dominguez was on a mission in South America. On 6 August, 1978, Pope Paul VI died, leaving the papal seat vacant. Dominguez used this opportunity to declare himself pope saying he had been mystically crowned by Jesus Christ with Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul present. The crowning took place in Santa Fe De Bogota, Colombia. The details of Dominguez' ordination were documented in a Palmarian pontifical Document titled “Tridentine Mass & Reception of Eucharist”:

“For the knowledge of the whole Catholic world, we give the following communication:

"HABEMUS PAPAM" — WE HAVE A POPE!””

Dominguez took the name Pope Gregory XVII and was crowned by Manuel Corral and three other bishops, presumably those who were ordained alongside Dominguez and Corral. These four bishops (including Corral) were appointed as Cardinals. Now Palmarian Cardinals, they signed the document in the City of Seville on 15 August, 1978. 

Cardinal Isidore (Manuel Alonso Corral In the past)

Cardinal Elias (Carmelo Pacheco Sanchez in the past)

Cardinal Leander (Camllo Estevez Puga in the past)

Cardinal Fulgenctus (Francis Sandler in the past)

They also documented his coronation on 15 August, 1978:

“On this memorable day, in the city of Seville, Calle Redes 11, there took place the most Solemn Coronation of His Holiness Pope Gregory XVII, by Cardinals Father Isidore, Father Elias, Father Leander and Father Fulgencius.

This Coronation was carried out in fulfilment of the command of the Mont Holy Virgin in the Message of 9th. August, 1978. The Ceremony began about 3 in the morning of the said day, 15th. Aug.   All the Bishops, Priests, Religious, Nuns of the Order of the Carmelites of the Holy Face, and a very numerous group of the faithful, representing different Provinces of Spain and various European Nations, and including America, who came in Pilgrimage to be present at so solemn an event, were there.”

They performed a Coronation, some people kissing the feet of the newly crowned Pope Gregory XVII. The Carmelites of the Holy Face was now the Palmarian Catholic Church. The Holy Spirit, the Papacy, and the Church had moved from Rome to El Palmar De Troya in 1978. John Paul I and all Roman Popes after him were declared Anti-Popes and the Vatican Council II was denounced as progressive and heretical.

He proclaimed the reestablishment of the Holy Latin Tridentine Mass, which was used in the Roman Church from 1570 to 1969 and anathematised the New Mass (Novus Ordo Missae) which replaced the Tridentine Mass in the Roman Church. He also made a proclamation of the Marian and Josephine Dogmas and declared anathema all those who should say anything to the contrary.

Although the New Mass was promulgated by Pope Paul VI, who the Palmarian Church declare as a Martyr Saint, they do not hold him responsible for its introduction into the Roman Church as they explain in the same document from earlier:

“We proclaim before the unalterable judgement of God and the judgement of History that, the New Mass is not the work of Our venerable Predecessor Paul VI.  Since, We openly proclaim that We know Our Predecessor to have been terribly coerced and submitted to drugs.  For as much, his Papal signature was obtained by force, while the upright will of the Supreme Pontiff remained disabled.”

Over the next few years, the Palmarian Church Doctrine would start to form, with many Pontifical Documents declaring rules and anathematising almost everyone who isn’t Palmarian. Dominguez had a dedicated following. Many were from the local area or other regions of Spain, but the church had followers from all over the world. Dominguez apparently had dioceses in Argentina, France and USA. They also had a headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. We do not know when these headquarters were created or how long they lasted. The Church website also had translations in English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian.

There is much to discuss regarding Palmar and we will explore all of that in due time. We welcome comments from everyone and would be interested if you have any information about the Palmarian Church. Were you involved? Do you know someone who was or still is involved?

Introduction to the Palmarian Church: Part One

The Palmarian Church is a small group of Roman Catholic dissidents who believe that in 1978, following the death of Pope Paul VI, the Holy See of Rome was transferred to a Spanish village called El Palmar De Troya.

Also Known As: Order of the Carmelites of the Holy Face The Order of the Last Times The Palmarian Catholic Church The Church of El Palmar De Troya Palmarian Church

When four young girls were picking flowers on farmland near El Palmar De Troya, in 1968, they claimed they saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary by a small tree.

Hundreds of people soon flocked to the tree. Amongst them were accountant Clemente Dominguez and lawyer Manuel Alonso Corral, both from Seville. They also reported visions at the sight and stated that people could be cured by going there. Dominguez soon became the ‘principal seer’. Dominguez apparently had stigmata and bled 14 litres of blood. He also claimed, in his visions, the Virgin Mary commanded him to rid the Catholic Church of “heresy and progressivism”, which would include Communism, Freemasonry and Zionism based on his future statements.

In 1982, Associated Press wrote about Dominguez:

“On Aug. 15, 1970, over 40,000 pilgrims, most of them blind or paralysed, converged on the dusty Seville suburb of Palmar de Troya to hear his tales at an open-air Mass.”

The Roman Church rejected the validity of the El Palmar De Troya visions and prohibited Catholics from attending services there.

In 1972, Dominguez purchased the 12-hectare farmland of La Alcaparrosa, the sight of the visions. This is where they began building the Palmarian Cathedral and the surrounding 5-metre high walls. It is unclear where exactly Dominguez got the money from but he apparently received a large sum from an aged baroness. It has also been said that they received support from Ultra-Rightists within the local authorities.

In 1975, Dominguez formed a new religious order, “The Order of the Carmelites of the Holy Face”. At this point they were still loyal to the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Paul VI but believed he was being held captive and drugged by Masonic, Liberal Cardinals. They later went on to state in 1978 that Pope Paul VI “was manipulated and coerced to visit the cursed organisation of the United Nations… who for the greater part, represented Masonry, Marxism and Zionism.”

In 1976, Marcel Lefebvre and Maurice Revaz from the Society of St Pius X persuaded Vietnamese Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc of the authenticity of the Palmarian apparitions. Soon after, Dominguez, Corral and three priests were ordained as bishops by Thuc. The ordinations were performed without authorisation from the Holy See of Rome and therefore Pope Paul VI excommunicated Thuc and the five ordained “bishops”.

In 1976, Dominguez was blinded in a car accident.

I will continue this post next week where we will discuss Dominguez’ declaration as Pope and the creation of the Palmarian Church.