Antipope Gregory XVII

Clemente Domínguez y Gómez (born May 23 1946) was proclaimed Pope Gregory XVII by supporters of the El Palmar de Troya Catholic breakway movement in 1978. He is viewed by mainstream Roman Catholicism as an anti-pope.

Clemente Domínguez y Gómez, who was born in Seville, Spain, became closely associated with the Palmar de Troya movement, which had its origins in an alleged 'apparition' of the Blessed Virgin Mary on March 30 1968 in the village of El Palmar de Troya in the Province of Seville. He claimed to have experienced visions of the Virgin Mary from September 30 1969. He claimed that the Virgin in her messages condemned heresy and what was called progressivism, namely the reform of the Catholic Church underway as a result of Vatican II. His followers claimed he possessed the stigmata, the wounds of Jesus Christ after crucifixion, on his hands. However, the Catholic Church cast doubts on the legitimacy of the alleged visions and apparitions.

Controversially Ordained

In December 1975, Clemente Dominguez y Gomez founded his own religious order, The Carmelites of the Holy Face, allegedly on instruction from the Virgin Mary. Five people, including its founder, who assumed the name Fr. Clemente, were ordained by a Catholic Archbishop who had travelled from Rome, Peter Martin Ngo-Dinh-Thuc, who was subsequently excommunicated for his ordinations, which were deemed 'valid but unlawful', for though he has the power to ordain he did not have the authority from Pope Paul VI which is a requirement for holy orders in Roman Catholicism, (The Archbishop, though subsequently accepted back into the Church, was again excommunicated by Pope John Paul II for further valid but unlawful ordinations in the early 1980s). The ordinations and the validity of Clemente's 'mission' were however disputed by the Spanish Catholic hierarchy. In May 1976, Fr. Clemente was blinded in a car accident. However he claimed further visions, including visions from Jesus Christ, who he claimed told him

You shall be the Peter to come, the Pope who will consolidate the Faith and the Church in her integrity, who shall battle against heresy with great power, for legions of Angels shall assist you... me Great Pope Gregory, Glory of the Olives...

He also claimed that Christ had named him sub-Vicar of Christ, with the automatic right of succession to the papacy after Pope Paul VI. Clemente changed his name to Fr. Ferdinand. When, on August 6 1978 Pope Paul died, Fr. Ferdinand claimed the papacy, proclaiming himself Pope Gregory XVII.

Becoming 'pope'

The new 'pope' claimed that he was visited by Christ, along with St. Peter and St. Paul, who told him

The reign of the Glory of the Olives has begun... A great day today, in which you are vested with the Office of Pope, on this feast of the Transfiguration on Mount Thabor,- Feastday of the Holy Face, of the Order of which you are the Founder and Father General. The great Pontificate of the August 15 1978, he was 'crowned' as 'pope' by four of his newly created College of Cardinals in a coronation held in Seville in Spain. According to his supporters, 'Pope Gregory XVII' is destined to be the last pope, and will be crucified and die in Jerusalem.

Clemente Domínguez y Gómez's claim to be the pope of the Catholic Church remains unaccepted by Church itself and its adherents, who accepted Pope John Paul I (1978) and Pope John Paul II (1978-present) as the true successors of Pope Paul VI. 'Pope Gregory XVII' is generally regarded as an anti-pope.

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Other 'Claimants' to the name 'Pope Gregory XVII'

• Fr. Jean Gregoire de La Trinite, alias Gaston Tremblay, from Canada also proclaimed himself Pope Gregory XVII back in 1968. In 1999 he was charged with sexual abuse of children, after a Canada-wide warrant was issued for his arrest.

• Some right-wing Roman Catholics also claimed Cardinal Giuseppe Siri (May 20 1906- May 2 1989) had been elected as Pope Pius XII's successor in 1958 but that his election was in effect vetoed under Communist threat that Catholics in Communist countries would be persecuted if Siri, who allegedly had announced that he wished to be known as Pope Gregory XVII, was accepted as pope. It was further alleged that Siri was again 'elected' in the 1963 conclave, only again to be vetoed in favour of Giovanni Montini who became Pope Paul VI. No convincing evidence has ever been produced to support this claim and Siri unambiguously accepted popes John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II, in each of whose elections he took part, and died in full communion with Rome.

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