Here’s a quick Friday-night post. I wanted to share a short documentary on a religious movement I’ve followed with great curiosity for well over a decade: the Palmarian Christian Church, which has operated in El Palmar de Troya, Andalusia, Spain, since the 1970s. As we see many of our Catholic figures today grow increasingly unhinged and conspiratorial, it might be enlightening to explore a movement that arose from a similar mindset decades ago and still exists today.
As tempting as it may be to laugh at this movement (and admittedly, there is much absurdity there), we should remember that the damage done by such cults is real, tragic, and painful to members and their loved ones. This 2015 news segment about a New Zealand woman, Maria Hall, who survived and escaped this cult, is an eye-opener:
Mike Lewis is the founding managing editor of Where Peter Is. In addition to his work for the site, his writing has appeared in America Magazine, National Catholic Reporter, US Catholic, The Irish Catholic, Catholic Outlook, The Synodal Times, and other Catholic publications. He has been quoted in The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The New York Post, and other mainstream outlets on Catholic affairs. He previously co-hosted the Field Hospital podcast with Jeannie Gaffigan and The Debrief podcast. Before founding Where Peter Is, he worked in communications at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Climate Covenant. He is married with four children.
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