Palmarian Catholic Church

Emblem with the Holy Face of Jesus
Palmarian Catholic Church
Spanish: Iglesia Católica Palmariana
Cathedral of El Palmar de Troya
The Cathedral-Basilica of Our Crowned Mother of Palmar, which the Palmarian Church considers the present headquarters of the Holy See of the Catholic Church.
ClassificationClaims to be the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church (i.e. — the Catholic Church)
OrientationTraditionalist Catholic
ScriptureThe Sacred History or Holy Palmarian Bible
PolityEpiscopal — Papal supremacy
GovernanceSee of El Palmar de Troya
PopePeter III
RegionAndalusia, Spain
LanguageLatin (liturgical), Spanish
HeadquartersCathedral-Basilica of Our Crowned Mother of Palmar,
El Palmar de Troya
Andalusia, Spain
FounderJesus Christ (claims to be the legitimate Catholic Church)
Pope Gregory XVII (first Palmarian Pope after alleged "Roman apostasy")
OriginAugust 6, 1978
Andalusia, Spain
Separated fromRoman Catholic Church
Congregations1 (with other missions)
Members1,000 to 1,500 (claimed, 2011)
ClergyBishops: 30
Nuns: 30 (2015)
Other name(s)Palmarian Catholic Church
Palmarian Christian Church
Official websitepalmarianchurch.org

The Palmarian Church[1] (Spanish: Iglesia Palmariana), officially registered as the Palmarian Christian Church and also known as the Palmarian Catholic Church, is a Christian church with an episcopal see in El Palmar de Troya, Andalusia, Spain. The Palmarian Church claims to be the exclusive One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ. It claims that the Holy See, the institution of the Papacy and the headquarters of the Catholic Church was moved to El Palmar de Troya at the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Crowned Mother of Palmar, under the auspices of the Patriarchate of El Palmar de Troya, in 1978, due to the alleged apostasy of the Roman Catholic Church from the Catholic faith.

The origins of the Palmarians as a distinct body can be traced back to the alleged Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Palmar, which took place in Andalusia, Spain, from 1968 onward. Two men became particularly associated with this movement as time went on, Clemente Domínguez y Gómez and Manuel Alonso Corral. The former was known as a charismatic visionary and seer, while the latter the intellectual éminence grise. The messages of these visions were favourable to a traditionalist Catholic pushback to the liberalising changes introduced by the Second Vatican Council and alleged a Masonic infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1975, the Palmarians founded a religious order known as the Carmelites of the Holy Face and had a number of priests ordained, then consecrated as bishops by Archbishop Ngô Đình Thục, giving them holy orders. After the death of Pope Paul VI in 1978, Clemente Domínguez claimed that he had been mystically crowned Pope of the Catholic Church by Jesus Christ and was to reign as Pope Gregory XVII from El Palmar de Troya.

There have been four subsequent Palmarian Popes and the one reigning since 2016 is Pope Peter III. Critical scholars, journalists, and former followers almost universally describe the organization as a cult.[2][3][4][5] Members are expected not to watch any films or television, vote or read newspapers.[6] They also engage in heavy shunning of former members and are not allowed to talk to people unrelated to the Palmarian Catholic Church.

  1. ^ Palmarian Church. (2023). Who Are We?. Palmarian Church
  2. ^ "¿El declive de los falsos Papas?". El Correo de Andalucía. 23 July 2011.
  3. ^ Lundberg, Magnus (2015). "Palmar de Troya: Holy Catholic Apostolic Palmarian Church" (PDF). Partnership for Understanding World Religions and Spirituality at Virginia Commonwealth University. Richmond, VA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Palmar de Troya Support Mission". palmardetroya.org. 23 July 2011.
  5. ^ "Palmarians". Dialogue Ireland. 20 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Las 10 cosas que debes saber sobre la iglesia del Palmar de Troya". 29 June 2016.