Former Antipope

Ginés Jesús Hernández
Gregory XVIII, third Pope of the
Palmarian Christian Church
ChurchPalmarian Christian Church
SeeEl Palmar de Troya
Papacy began15 July 2011
Papacy ended22 April 2016
PredecessorPeter II
SuccessorPeter III
Opposed toBenedict XVI
Francis (formerly)
Personal details
Born (1959-07-01) 1 July 1959
NationalitySpanish
DenominationRoman Catholicism (currently)
Palmarian Catholicism (formerly)
Criminal chargesArmed robbery
Aggravated assault
Assault
Criminal penaltySix years incarceration and a 35,000 Euro fine
Criminal statusReleased on probation

Sergio María Ginés Jesús Hernández y Martínez (born 1 July 1959), known by his religious name as Sergio María and by his papal name as Gregory XVIII, is the former Pope of the Palmarian Christian Church. Hernández was in office from 2011 until his 2016 abdication.[1][2][lower-alpha 1]

Hernández is a former member of the Spanish Military. Hernández is a Carlist.

Between 2005 and 2011, Hernández served as church secretary of state under pope Manuel Corral (Peter II).

After Corral's death, Hernández succeeded Corral, on 16 July 2011, as pope at El Palmar de Troya and adopted the papal name Gregory XVIII. Hernández nominated his successor Joseph Odermatt from Switzerland.

According to Professor Magnus Lundberg, of the University of Uppsala, Hernández abdicated from his papacy on 22 April 2016 and was succeeded on 23 April 2016 by Odermatt, who took Peter III as his papal name.[5]

Following his abdication, Hernández married Nieves Trivedi (a former Palmarian nun) and they both reconciled with the Roman Catholic Church.[2]

Controversy

Criticism of the Church and excommunication

Following his abdication, Hernández told El País that the Palmarian Christian Church "was all a hoax from the beginning" to profit from believers and supporters of the alleged apparitions of Our Lady of Palmar.[6][7] His successor, Pope Peter III, published an encyclical letter in response, in which he accused Hernández of discrediting his former Church in his interview and of stealing two million euros from the Palmarian Catholic Church, alongside several goods, including a BMW X6. Peter III subsequently declared Hernández an apostate, excommunicated him and declared all of his acts to be null and void. Hernández denies the charges of stealing.[8]

In May 2016, Hernández gave an interview to El Español in which he stated that he had left the Church not because he had fallen in love, but because he had lost faith in the Palmarian Norms; he also accused his former Church of many abuses, of which his predecessor Peter II was apparently aware of, though not paedophilia scandals, which he firmly denied. He also stated that he lost several friends after leaving the Palmarian Christian Church.[9]

In 2020 Hernández was again interviewed by El Confidencial: during the interview he accused the Palmarian Christian Church of possessing large quantities of money and even weapons; he also regretted not disbanding the Church while he was in charge, but predicted that it would soon collapse on its own.[10]

Attempted robbery in the Cathedral

On 10 June 2018, Hernández and his wife, Nieves Triviño, climbed over the high walls of the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Crowned Mother of Palmar. They were masked and armed, apparently planning to rob the cathedral, but were discovered by a Palmarian bishop who was outside the Basilica. According to testimonies, they beat the bishop with a hammer and threatened him and another bishop, with a knife. However, in the subsequent fight, Hernández was severely injured, while the others escaped with less serious physical injuries.[11][12]

Hearing the noise outside the cathedral, other church members came to the assistance and they called the police and an ambulance. Hernández was transported by helicopter to the Virgen del Rocio University Hospital in Seville. After recovering, he and his wife were arrested by the Civil Guard. Both were subsequently charged with the accusations of armed robbery, grave assault and assault.[13][14][15]

On 17 May 2019, Hernández and his wife were found guilty of all charges and sentenced to six and five years in prison respectively and to pay a 35,000 euros fine to the two Palmarian Christian bishops they injured.[16] The two, however, were immediately released on probation.[17][18]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ It is difficult to obtain reliable and verified information about the Palmarian sect, according to religious studies scholar Jean-François Mayer, since the sect neither announces news nor had an online presence until 2018.[3] Little is known about what happens inside the sect compound, according to ABC newspaper journalist Alberto Flores, who described the usual behavior of the sect as "habitual secrecy" (habitual ocultismo).[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Gregorio XVIII, nuevo papa en el Palmar de Troya". periodistadigital.com (in Spanish). Madrid: Periodista Digital. 23 July 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011.
  2. 1 2 Lundberg 2016; Mayer 2016; Macías 2016a; Macías 2016b.
  3. ↑ Mayer 2016.
  4. ↑ Flores 2016.
  5. ↑ Lundberg 2016.
  6. ↑ Martín-Arroyo, Javier (23 May 2016). "La gran mentira de la Iglesia del Palmar de Troya". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  7. ↑ Martín-Arroyo, Javier (26 May 2016). "The Palmarian Catholic Church: a lie that lasted 40 years". EL PAÍS English Edition. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  8. ↑ Martín-Arroyo, Javier (9 June 2016). "El Papa de la Iglesia Palmariana acusa a su predecesor de robar joyas y un papamóvil". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "Gregorio XVIII, expapa de El Palmar de Troya por amor". El Español (in Spanish). 1 May 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  10. ↑ Ruso, Pepe Barahona;Fernando (19 February 2020). "La confesión del papa Ginés: "Me arrepiento de no haber acabado con el Palmar de Troya"". elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ "El antiguo Papa del Palmar de Troya, herido grave tras intentar volver a la iglesia". Diario de Sevilla (in European Spanish). 11 June 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  12. ↑ "El ex papa del Palmar de Troya y su mujer intentaban robar en la Basílica". Diario de Sevilla (in European Spanish). 12 June 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  13. ↑ "La Mata Hari del Palmar". Diario de Sevilla (in European Spanish). 13 June 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  14. ↑ "Un papa entre rejas". Diario de Sevilla (in European Spanish). 13 June 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  15. ↑ "El 'expapa' de El Palmar de Troya, a prisión por robo en su antigua basílica". El País (in Spanish). 13 June 2018. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  16. ↑ "Condenan a 6 años de cárcel al expapa del Palmar de Troya". ABC (in Spanish). 18 May 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  17. ↑ "El ex papa del Palmar y su mujer libres tras llegar a un acuerdo". Diario de Sevilla (in European Spanish). 17 May 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  18. ↑ "El 'expapa' del Palmar se libra de la cárcel gracias a un acuerdo judicial". El País (in Spanish). 17 May 2019. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 29 November 2021.

Sources

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