A critical study of the Palmar de Troya case (part 1)

The subject of the study:
Year 1966 was the start of some strange events in a Spanish village called Palmar de Troya. Two years later they took a form of private apparitions of the Blessed Virgin. There were at least two groups of seers, both condemned by a local, roman ’conciliar’ bishop. In the January 1976 some of prophets were consecrated bishops by a famous roman catholic bishop, Peter Martin Ngo dinh Thuc (1897-1984) from South Vietnam. It was the beginning of a new ’Church’.

According to some sources only in 1976 first few bishops consecrated 48 bishops, next year 11, one in 1978 and one in 1981, two in 1994, one in 1995, two in 1997, two in 1998 and three in 2000. Those more than 70 bishops, supported by a significant number of faithful from Europe, North and South America as well as Nigeria in Africa, call themselves ’the true Church’ outside which there are no sacraments nor salvation.

Main reasons for making such a research:
On 5th November Anno Domini MM eighteen bishops of the Palmarian Church and seven of their nuns were excommunicated by their lider, ’pope Gregorio XVII’, probably because they wanted to make their religious life more catholic – I’m not sure because I still haven’t managed to contact them personally. According to my latest information some of those poor people are seeking help of other Christian groups. ’Pope Gregorio’ in his sermon from 20th November 2000 mentioned that the most of German faithful of the Palmarian Church joined the Lefebvre group or orthodox churches. Also Canadian faithful decided to stay with excommunicated bishops. That’s how the problem of a proper treatment of ex-palmarians had arisen and it will probably enhance in next months.

Since 1999 A.D. I’ve been receiving palmarian documents, sermons, catechisms, sacred decrees. During my studies on the traditional Catholicism I’ve contacted three ex-palmarian bishops and a one who still works with them. On the other hand I must stres that I’ve never committed communicatio in sacris cum acatholicis, including palmarians.

The Table of Contents:

1. The first part of Palmar de Troya apparitions (1968)

2. The second part of the visions (1969-75)

3. The beginning of sectarianism (1976-78)

4. The drama of Palmar de Troya (1979)

5. The dogmatic fruits of Palmar de Troya (after 1980)

6. The moral state of the palmarian leaders

7. The people who broke down with palmarians

8. The palmarian priests and faithful – how to evaluate them?

I allow everyone to spread this study – I would be even grateful for it. I also look for contacts with people who would help me in further developing and improving my work on Palmar de Troya.

1/ The first part of the Palmar de Troya apparitions:

The most terrible description of supposed messages given by the Blessed Virgin in Palmar de Troya we can find in a sermon given by 'pope Gregorio’ on 15th August 1998 (published by the Palmar de Troya Sede Apostolica).

The first supposed heavenly messages were given to Maria Marin, Maria Louisa Vila, Rosario Arenillas and Pepe Cayetano in 1968. Future leaders of the palmarian movement, Clemente Domiguez y Gomez and Manuel Alonso Corral came there as lay faithful. It’s said, however not well proved, that both of them were homosexual lovers, who from the beginning thought that it might be a great opportunity to collect some money from faithful’s pockets. Of course ’pope Gregorio’ haven’t admitted it in his sermon, but he leaves us with meaningful words about first visions:

’so we kept coming there, and on one occasion a strongly built man, all of a sudden – as though possessed – right here in this lentisco, by a humanly inexplicable leap ended upside down, his head on the ground and his feet in the air, and a whirlwind swept him away. That was a terrifying, diabolical manifestation. After that, on that same day, we enquired of some people wandering about here, and some said: 'That’s nothing. Here we have seen more than one Civil Guard, in uniform and wearing the tricorn hat, swept 50 meters away by whirlwind that has come along’. Our hair stood on end. We observed also that there were people who, after reciting the rosary, would stop praying because, they said, Our Lady did not like the Litany and it caused Her to leave; and if one person lit a candle, another would come and blot it out, saying that Our Lady had no desire for candle, that it startled Her’.

But in spite of that, Domingueaz and Corral decided to continue to come to Palmar de Troya. Then, on 15th August 1968, Rosario Arenillas, one of seers, said to Dominguez:

– Today I have seen you dressed in white.
– What do you mean in white? I don’t walk the streets of Seville in white trousers and white jacket and the like.
– No, no, no! It is a white soutane, all white from top to bottom, and nor for just any priest.
– But why can’t it be for jus any priest? In Latin America priests wear white soutanes because of heat.
– No, no! It’s a pope’s soutane.
– Madam, stop playing jokes on me. I have no thought now of studding for the priesthood.
– I have seen you here as Pope – said the visionary to Domiguez.

2/ The second part of the visions.

Dominguez and Corral joined the movement and participated in spreading it. At nightfall on the 30th September 1969 Domiguez received his first own vision, after that next ones – what last to 1982.

The first 'seers’ with their spiritual director, rev. Luna, started to consider Clemente Domiguez y Gomez and Manuel Alonso Corral as cheaters, but they haven’t managed to convince faithful to this. In 1976 a second group, leaded by rev. Felix A. Arenal, accused Dominguez and Corral of spreading false messages and left them. New visions where undoubtedly conservative in their meaning, and even I cannot find any explicite diabolical things in them.

It was almost the same time when the Novus Ordo Missae (’conciliar’ roman Mass) appeared, what caused great spiritual doubts in the hearts of Catholics. Dominguez and Corral gave them explanations. Let’s remember that then, in 1969, almost nobody heard about the Most Rev. Lefebvre or sedevacantism (the last term wasn’t even evened) and haven’t existed.

Lay really didn’t know what to think and it was great opportunity for people like Mary Ann Van Hoof from Necedah in Wisconsin (United States), ex-priest Michael Collin alias 'pope Clemente XV’ in France, Francis Konrad Schuckartd in Coeur d’Alene in Idaho (United States), or St. Jovite sect in Quebec. Unfortunately in some parts of the world, where main groups of traditional Catholics didn’t work, so sad events happened also in 80-ties and 90-ties. For example Poland in 80-ties saw the start of famous, pseudo-traditionalist marian apparitions in Olawa.

That’s how the situation was explained in ’Short Biographical Sketch of His Holiness Pope Gregory XVII’:
’the greater part of the cardinals, Bishops and Priests have apostized. The reigning Pope, Saint Paul VI, is the innocent victim of freemasonry and communism which actually govern the Church. The Pope is kept under drugs, he is a prisoner within the walls of the Vatican, unable to do or decide anything save what the enemies of the Church ordain. The true doctrine of the Church has been adulterated; the Most Holy Sacrament profaned; the Blessed Virgin set aside. We are in the first great apostasy of the last times. One sole place of salvation remains: El Palmar de Troya, beacon and stronghold of the Faith, depository of Holy Tradition, seminary of the true teaching, altar where the true Sacrifice of the Mass is offered. Away from El Palmar reign darkness, confusion and error’.

3/ The beginning of sectarianism

Here is the whole tragedy – people who decided to put their confidence in seers from Spain weren’t cheaters, didn’t look for fame, but gave their hearts (and money…) to a man who seemed for them to be well prepared by Heaven to rescue the Church. And that’s how they started to be kept in a trap, because once they got involved with Palmar de Troya, other traditionalist groups didn’t want to work with them – even when they wanted to make penance.

Let’s mention some of those people. The best know is abp. Ngo dinh Thuc. He was found by palmarians in very poor conditions. In 1975 (when it happened) – from the reason of his catholic views – this ex-prince of the Church had been leaving in Arpino, a small village near Rome in Italy. His family was murdered by communists in Vietnam, he was left by friends, forced by Paul VI to resign from his See. And when he almost gave up all his hope, Palmar de Troya seers found him with help of father Maurice Revaz, who for some time was in Econe, working in a seminary build by abp. Lefebvre. Let’s allow His Excellency Ngo to speak for himself: ’at that time a priest came to me who I had formerly known in Econe, Switzerland. He said to me point-blank: Your Excellency, the Holy Virgin has sent me to bring you at once to Spain in order to render her a service. My car is waiting for You at the door of the presbytery and we will leave immediately so as to reach there by Christmas. Thrilled by this invitation, I said to him: If it is a service demanded by the Holy Virgin, I am read to follow you to te end of the world’.

Ngo dinh Thuc was the first one from a countless group of people used by Dominguez and Corral. He ordained them priests and in January 1976 consecrated them bishops together with three catholic priests – rev. Camilo Estevez Puga de Maside from Spain, rev. Michael Thomas Donelly from Ireland and rev. Francis Bernard Sandler from United States. Having the apostolic succession, their lost their interests for superfluous abp. Ngo, who moved to Toulon in France and cut all his connections with them. He even said that he only pretendent do ordain priests and consecrate bishops there, but I wouldn’t believe Him.

In 1975-78 he was really convinced that palmarians possessed the Truth and after 1978 he wanted to hide it. I know that from strategical point of view it would be easier for traditional Catholics to say that palmarians have no priesthood at all, but simply: IT’S NOT TRUE!

During two years 1976-78 Clemente Dominguez, now bishop Ferdinand, together with Manuel Corral, now bishop Isiodre Mary, consecrated more than 50 bishops, and using the name ’Carmelite Order of the Holy Face’ started to build up a paralel 'Church’.

It was successfully ended on 15th August 1978 when 'cardinals’ of the 'Church’ made bishop Ferdinand a 'pope’, 'pope Gregorio XVII’ – as he called himself.