WHY WERE THE EARLY BISHOPS AND FIRST COMMISSION BIASED AGAISNT GARABANDAL ?
I could write a book on all the outrageous treatment of
the girls and shenanigans the First Commission pulled in order to discredit the
apparitions and the girls. (Thank God they failed). The only thing they did
accomplish was to create confusion and some doubts about the apparitions, that
still last to this day, because people haven’t researched what actually happen,
and not enough people who know the truth speak about it. I AM HERE TO TELL YOU
THE TRUTH, SO YOU CAN TELL OTHERS TOO.
Let’s start with the people who caused the confusion, the
early Bishops, during the apparition years.
Bishop Doroteo Fernandez- May 1961-January 1962 . Based on
the findings of the “Commission” that he appointed to examine the events
occurring in Garabandal that summarily dismissed the happening as “child’s
play, after on two visits to the village, he issued two “ notas” advising
priests and faithful to abstain from going up to the village.
Bishop Eugenio Beitia Aldazbal - January 1962 - January
1965. He placed restrictions on priests going up to the village without
diocesan permission, but did not condemn the events. *He authorized a private
investigation by three doctors whose findings did not coincide with those of
the Commission.
Bishop Vincente Puchol Montis – July 1965 – May 1967. He
tried to put an end to Garabandal. He died in an automotive accident on May 8,
1967.
Bishop Puchol Montis- threatened the girls Mother’s with
excommunication
Bishop Puchol was quoted as saying “ We know that after what
Jesus Christ brought, there can be no more apparitions or revelations “. Really
?? This shows you the mentality of the man.
Now let’s talk about the “ WHY “. Why in God’s name would
a Bishop, or several, try to silence our Blessed Mother ?
The Answer is “ Ezkioga” ( APPARITONS IN SPAIN 1931-1933
)
Most striking were the prophecies: the apparitions at
Ezkioga predicted chastising calamities for mankind, including a world war and
three days in which the earth would be plunged into a horrendous darkness.
There would also be a "great miracle" that would be seen at Ezkioga
but noted in the entire world. SOUND FAMILIAR ???
For those who are interested here is the history of that
apparition and its events. If not, you can skip this section and go on to what
happened at Garabandal by the Bishops and the First Commission.
The Ezkioga apparitions
On 29 June 1931, a brother and sister of the Bereciartua
family, ages 7 and 11, monolingual Basque speakers, claimed to have seen the
Virgin Mary clad in a black mantle on a hillside known as Anduaga, which
lay above a church and school in Ezquioga. Their own father did not believe
them, but hundreds of others came to the hillside to see for themselves.
Eventually, hundreds of thousands of mostly Basque devotees
came to Ezquioga expecting to witness and perhaps even experience visions, and
hundreds did. On the nights of July 12, 16, and 18, and October 16, up to
eighty thousand persons turned out. In the first month there were over a
hundred alleged seers. Occasional visions continued until the fall of 1933.
Seers described blinding light, convulsed, many fell unconscious, and some
bled. In 1933, bleeding crucifixes were reported around Ezquioga, seemingly as
a retort to negative reports about the visionaries.
On April 14, 1931, the Second Spanish
Republic was declared after anti-monarchist candidates won
elections in urban areas throughout Spain, King Alfonso XIII of
Spain abdicated. Many of the new government were Socialist or otherwise anti-clerical.
However this did not spread to the religious Basque
Country. In the elections on June 28, rightist coalitions won handily in
Gipuzkoa and Navarra.
Many rightist Basque nationalists, preparing for a civil war
against the Republic, supported the visionaries, believing the visions were a
sign that the Virgin Mary supported them. It also draw a certain amount of
attention among the Catholics of Catalonia. The official church, on the other
hand, soon turned against the seers. At the invitation of the diocese, Jose
Antonio Laburu, a ,
preached against the "mental contagion" of the Ezquioga visions at
San Sebastian in April and June 1932, contrasting them against the
"true" visions of Teresa of Avila and Thomas Aquinas.
Similarly the Republican government tried to suppress the visions. Rumor had it
that the President Manuel
Azaña had sent Dr Gregorio
Marañón (then vacationing at San Sebastián) to
investigate. In the fall of 1932, Pedro del Pozo Rodríguez, the governor of
Gipuzkoa, briefly interned those who claimed to see visions at the provincial
psychiatric hospital of >Santa
Águeda, Mondragón.
The visions became a taboo subject in the region, and the visionaries went
underground, meeting in small groups with loyal followers. In 1936, the Spanish Civil War
came. It was not among Catholic and non-Catholics as many Ezquioga followers
had expected: the Catholic Basque nationalists took the side of the Republic,
while the also Catholic Navarrese Carlists took the side of the Francoist rebellion.
Nevertheless, the Ezquioga visionaries keep meeting in secret and they were
still doing so seventy years later.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The visions at Ezkioga reached a peak during the discussions
leading to the separation of Church and State in October of 1931, and flared in
the following spring when the government disbanded the Jesuits. The author perceives
the Church's vulnerability as the reason why the visions were tolerated for so
long but, ultimately, were suppressed. Jose Antonio Laburu, one of the Jesuits'
most eloquent preachers, used his specialized talents in psychology,
psychobiology, and characterology to lecture with great success at San
Sebastian in April and June of 1932 against the mental contagion at Ezkioga. In
his qualified opinion, the visions of Ezkioga did not measure up to the true
visions of Teresa of Avila and Thomas Aquinas and he enumerated all the aspects
that disqualified the visions. These criticisms were reiterated by major
regional newspapers and, a week after the lectures, hardly anyone believed in
the visions at Ezkioga. In September 1932, it was clear that the next offensive
against the seers would come from the government. When the Republic did act,
the visions were less of a threat. The Mayor of Ezkioga, on the behalf of the
government, announced that all seers who had visions would be jailed. Burguera
was imprisoned for a few days, which consecrated him as defender of the seers,
many of whom had been sent to mental institutions. Beginning in 1933, there was
an escalation, in the form of bleeding crucifixes in and around Ezkioga, to
maintain the allegiance of believers and to convert doubters.
”THE COMMISSION”
THE BISHOP & COMMISSION WAS BIASED !
You can now see how the Bishops didn’t want a repeat of the
“Ezkioga apparitions” and tried to shut down Garabandal any way they could. The
Bishops were dead set against approving this apparition from day one ! Did you
know that the very priest who they sent to investigate, came back a believer!
Then RESIGNED! When that didn't work, they sent doctors, but the doctors
were dumb founded as to how the girls in ecstasy were impervious to pain ! They
were burned with matches, stuck with needles, pinched, has sand thrown in their
eyes, and also camera flash bulb (but didn't blink) darn near torture ! But
they too failed to explain this as a "natural event" or the girl’s
imagination. Now the Bishop is so mad, he even REFUSED the testimony OF POLICE
CIVIL GUARDS. The worst part, they REFUSED to interview A SINGLE PERSON ! HOW
CAN YOU CALL THIS A VALID INVESTIGATION WHEN THEY NEVER INTERVIEWED THE GIRLS,
THE PARISH PRIESTS, the girl’s parents, family, friends, other villagers ??? There
were hundreds of witnesses who begged to testify, and they would not hear them
for fear of convincing the public it WAS TRUE ! There was such a LACK OF
EVIDENCE to support his position, that NO REPORT WAS EVER SENT TO THE
VATICAN !! So when the original Bishop's finding is not favorable for
approval, many lost interest in Garabandal and worse yet, our Blessed Mother's
messages.
A second and a third study (1986-91) were commissioned by
Bishop Juan Antonio del Val Gallo (who was the priest who resigned from the
original commission). The findings of the first of these two commissions were
neither finalized nor sent to the Vatican. The results of the third
investigation - started by Bishop del Val and transferred, upon his retirement
in 1991, to the current bishop - Jose Vilaplana, eventually were sent to
Cardinal Ratzinger at the Vatican but have not yet been made public. Thus,
no official pronouncement has been made yet, as they wait for the fulfillment
of the Warning and Miracle.
Bishops offended ! Now add the second message of the Blessed
Mother that said "Many cardinals, many bishops and many priests are on the
road to perdition and are taking many souls with them" WOW, so the
very people in charge of the investigation, are being called out by Mary, and
they don't like being "knocked off their pedestal" of reverence in
the people’s eyes. And you wonder why the approval did not happen then.
CONCHITA HAIR CUT OFF The Commission was so desperate
to discredit the apparitions, and especially Conchita that they actually
removed Conchita from her home, brought her to another town, CUT MOST OF HER
HAIR OFF, and had a priest ( Fr. Luis Gonzalez ) threaten her by saying: “If
you persist in talking about apparitions, you will be disgraced. We will
declare you crazy and lock you in a mad house. And your parents will go to
jail.”
Dr. Pinal ,the Commission appointed doctor ,and Dr. Morales,
tried to “Hypnotize “ her ! They forced her to sign A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER !
(which the Commission conveniently filled in later, admitting to her guilt) This
happen to a freighted 12 year old, separated from family or counsel. Can you
imagine this happening in today’s age ?
This outrageous behavior would be called “Child abuse AND
criminal” !
Thank God, that the likes of Pope Paul VI, Padre Pio, kept
hope alive because of their belief in the early days, or this would have been
dead and buried. As the evidence mounted that Mary was appearing, the best that
they could do is say that the apparitions were "Non-constat de
supernaturalitate - It is not certain that the events are of supernatural
origin." It was neither approved or condemned. This is just a few
reasons the early generations had little interest, until Joey Lomangino went to
confession to Padre Pio, and came back to America and started his apostolate,
telling the world about the truth of Mary’s appearances and her messages.
GOOD NEWS ! On May 6, 2012, Bishop of Santander, Vecente
Jimenez Zamora (installed in 2007) celebrated a Mass in Garabandal in
commemoration of the completion of a restoration project of the village church.
In a refreshments period after Mass, he was open and most cordial with all the
villagers and visitors. On May 1, 2013, the Bishop again celebrated Mass in the
village church of Garabandal and prior to the Mass, kissed a crucifix belonging
to villager David Toribio that was kissed by the Blessed Virgin at Garabandal.
Bishop Jimenez's Masses in Garabandal were firsts, since no Bishop of Santander
had ever said Mass in the village church from the time the apparitions began in
1961.
COMMISSION PRIEST RESIGNS !
What does it say about this " Commission" when its
OWN investigative Priest resigns because he is a believer ?
Don Juan Antonio Del Val Gallo later becomes the
Bishop of Santandar ,and he lifts the ban on priests to say mass there, and
more importantly, he initiates a new investigation Committee, who findings are
much different from the first bogus Commission, and they are sent to the
Vatican. ( * also note the first Commission, never sent a report to the
Vatican because they could not verify their claims, because they had no
witnesses interviewed, they never even interviewed the girls or their families
! )
Padre Lucio Rodrigo was consulted by the members of the
"Special Commission" (except Dr. Morales), in the second half of the
month of August 1961. Following this encounter with the renowned Spanish
theologian, Don Juan Antonio del Val, (the future bishop of Santander). . .,
resigned from the "Commission."
[Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, page 100]
How reliable is this First Commission ?
The main witness speaks out !
Upon presenting the memoirs of Juan Alveraz Seco,
Brigadier Chief of the Civil Guard, and the man responsible for maintaining
order in the village during the apparitions, Anotnio Pacio, M.S.C. Professor at
the University of Barcelona writes:
“ I would like to only state one thing to forestall the
objections on many based on various official communiqués coming from the
Diocese of Santandar. These communiqués should have been preceded by a substantial
interrogation of the myriad witnesses”
“Among these witnesses , one who stands out is Juan Alvarez
Seco, Brigadier Chief of the Civil Guard,who is the author of these memoirs. He
was present from the beginning to 1962,and at 1965 at the time of the Message,
and he had the duty of informing his superiors and the Civil Governor and all
that was going on in Garabandal, while at the same time he had to maintain
order in the village. “
“Well, none of the Commissioners, who rejected the
supernatural events at Garabandal, ever asked him to testify, nor did they
deign to even interview him, who was the “official informant” to the
authorities. This detail suffices to illustrate the “true and impartiality “
with which the various episcopal commissions endeavored to inform themselves.
Juan Seco : “ THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED IN BELIEVING WITNESSES, BUT ONLY THE
UNBELIEVING. THEY WANTED AT ALL COST, TO DISCREDIT THE MANIFISTATIONS, AND IN
ORDER TO ACHIEVE THIS, THAT HAD TO ELIMINATE ANY WITNESS,INCLINED TO BE FAVORABLE,
NO MATTER WHAT HIS COMPETENCY”.
From “The Village Speaks” pgs 69 - 70.
FIRST COMMISSION MEDICAL RULING ???(and later real ones)
This was the Commission's doctor's " medical
opinion" The doctor in charge of the district, Doctor Jose Luis Gullon
said " that these were seizures and diseases, that all that was happening
was due to an illness that the girls had."
He never said what illness it was. WOW can you
believe this ?
Now you know why the Bishop Dal Val Gallo ordered a new
investigation !
"This is no way supernatural. It is a psychogenic
reaction to the situation . . . Vulgar hysterical phenomena . . ." Such
was Dr. Morales' opinion on the one ecstasy that he had attended. His
report, quickly drafted, influenced the negative verdict by the "Commission"
concerning the supernatural origin of the phenomena of Garabandal.
He, who had really been the "directing head" of
the "Special Commission," completely reversed his position in
1977. In May 1983, during some lectures he gave at Santander, then at Madrid,
he publicly defended the authenticity of the apparitions.
[Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, pages 59; 61]
Dr. Luis Morales changes mind on Garabandal !
On September 3, 1978, my first visit with Dr. Morales was
recorded in its totality with his consent and lasted two hours. During the
interview he was somewhat reserved in explaining his change of position on
Garabandal and finally, because of my insistence, he said, "Now I see
the existential reality of Our Lady in Garabandal. I think of Garabandal as
Fatima: a gift of Divine Providence for humanity. Garabandal truly is a gift to
us from Christ through his Mother..." At the end of the interview he
answered my last question by saying, "Oh, yes! Garabandal has been a
manifestation of Divine Grace...!"
Dr. Ricardo Puncernau, Neuro-psychiatrist
Dr. Ricardo Puncernau is the Vice-president of the Spanish
Society of Sophrology and Psychosomatic Medicine and the President of the
Spanish Association of Para-Psychological Investigations.
“I have weighed, thought about, and consciously
observed [the events], and I have made the following conclusion: In Garabandal,
there has never existed nor exists any other acting causing factor in relation
to what is happening there except the Most Holy Virgin.”
During these times, in which the world is “confused”
on the ecclesiastical level, similarly on international, social, familiar, and
personal levels, full of injustice and egoism, we have dared to write these
lines. These are a series of simple stories that deal with the famous
happenings of Garabandal as seen through the prism of a Christian doctor.
Since I am Christian, I am obligated to strictly tell the truth, without
adornment, at least in the essence of the narration. What is important, I dare
to say, is the adornment of the story.
At least consciously, I haven’t left out the slightest detail of what I
remember. They are personal things, mine, as they relate to the history of
Garabandal. They are things that I have never told before. Things that I
believe are necessary to say. Next year, 1975, is the Holy Year. What better
occasion to exhume events that were seemingly buried forever but, in reality,
never were? It is evident that this has been written for those who already know
the story of Garabandal. If not, I fear that they will neither understand nor
value this testimony.
Barcelona, December 1974. Dr. Ricardo Puncernau.
|