Clemente Domínguez y Gómez (23May 1946 – 22 March 2005) was a self-proclaimed successor of PopePaul VI and was recognized as Pope Gregory XVII by supporters of thePalmarian Christian Church schismatic breakaway movement in 1978. Hisclaim was not taken seriously by mainstream Catholics, the vastmajority of whom were unaware of his existence.

Palmar de Troya

Clemente Domínguez y Gómez was bornin Seville, Spain.

He became closely associated with thePalmar de Troya movement, which had its origins in an allegedapparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady ofPalmar, on 30 March 1968 in El Palmar de Troya, a little village nearUtrera in the Province of Seville. He claimed to have experiencedvisions of the Virgin Mary from 30 September 1969. He claimed thatthe Virgin in her messages condemned heresy and what was calledprogressivism, namely the reform of the Catholic Church underway as aresult of Vatican II. His followers claimed he possessed thestigmata, the wounds of Jesus after crucifixion, on his hands.However, the Catholic Church cast doubts on the legitimacy of thealleged visions and apparitions.

Clemente Domínguez' claim to be thePope of the Catholic Church remains unaccepted by Catholics, whoaccepted Pope John Paul I (1978) and Pope John Paul II (1978–2005)as the true successors of Pope Paul VI.

Controversially ordained

In December 1975, Clemente Domínguezfounded his own religious order, The Carmelites of the Holy Face,allegedly upon instructions from the Blessed Virgin Mary in anapparition.

Domínguez, who assumed the name Fr.Ferdinand,[citation needed] was ordained bishop by Roman CatholicArchbishop Pierre Martin Ngô Đình Thục in January 1976.

Archbishop Thục was subsequentlyexcommunicated for his ordinations, which were deemed valid butillicit. (Although Archbishop Thuc had the power to ordain he did nothave the authority to do so from Pope Paul VI, which is a requirementfor licit episcopal holy orders in Roman Catholicism.) Domínguez wasalso excommunicated latae sentientiae.

Claim to the Papacy

In May 1976, Domínguez lost hiseyeballs in a car accident. He claimed further visions, includingvisions from Jesus, who he claimed told him: "You shall bethe Peter to come, the Pope who will consolidate the Faith and theChurch in her integrity, who shall battle against heresy with greatpower, for legions of Angels shall assist you... me Great PopeGregory, Glory of the Olives..." He also claimed that Christhad named him His sub-Vicar, with the automatic right of successionto the papacy after Pope Paul VI. On 6 August 1978, Pope Paul diedand Domínguez claimed the papacy, proclaiming himself Pope GregoryXVII.

Domínguez claimed that he was visitedby Christ, along with Saint Peter and Saint Paul, who told him

The reign of the Glory of theOlives has begun... A great day today, in which you are vested withthe Office of Pope, on this feast of the Transfiguration on MountThabor,—Feast-day of the Holy Face, of the Order of which you arethe Founder and Father General. The great Pontificate of the Glory ofthe Olives begins: the Pope foretold by many mystics and in manyprophecies; the Pope who unites in his veins the blood of Spain, thenoble blood of Spain, with the true blood of France and with theblood of the chosen people, the Jewish people. There, the grandeur!He will not delay long before taking up the sword and fulfilling themission of emperor and great monarch... It was also foretold inprophecies in past times how this Pope would be elected: namelythrough the direct intervention of the Apostles Saint Peter and SaintPaul. There is no other way of opposing the official election inConclave in Rome from which the Anti-pope will come... Only thesimple and humble of heart will recognize the true Pope: Pope GregoryXVII.

On 15 August 1978, he was crowned Popeby four of his newly created College of Cardinals in a coronationheld in Seville in Spain. During his papacy, he purported to canonizeGeneralissimo Francisco Franco and Christopher Columbus as saints.According to his supporters, Pope Gregory XVII was destined to be thelast Pope, and would be crucified and die in Jerusalem.

In the 1990s, Gregory XVII was accusedof sexual impropriety with several of his priests and nuns. In 1997he admitted to it and begged forgiveness.[2] He died on 22 March 2005in El Palmar de Troya, and was succeeded by Manuel Corral, who tookthe name Pope Peter II. Incidentally, the papacy of Gregory XVIIclosely overlapped that of Pope John Paul II. He died, aged only 58,a mere 11 days prior to the death of his rival.

In film

In the 1986 Spanish comedy film Manuely Clemente [es], Clemente is played by Ángel de Andrés López.