How, when, and where this interview took place.

Q: Father, when was the first time that you heard about the Apparitions of Garabandal?
A: The very first time I heard about Garabandal was in 1965. I was in Mexico. A newspaper reporter who was a student of mine told me that he had just received some documentation from Spain telling about the Apparitions in Garabandal. He gave me all of the material and I read it that night. I found it to be very interesting. I told him that I would like very much to go there. He told me that there was a prophecy given to Conchita in January of that year in which an apparition was to occur on the 18th of June. Then I made all the arrangements to go there but it was impossible for me to be there on time. The earliest I could get there was in August. Since the apparition (Michael, The Archangel) had already taken place, Conchita related all the information to me. I stayed there 3 months studying the apparitions. It was the Angel's last appearance. Conchita had said that the Blessed Mother through the Archangel Michael, had said that there were many priests that were going the wrong way and were taking many souls with them... being condemned. I asked Conchita if that was truly the Blessed Mother's Message and she said, "No." She then took me aside and told me that that was what Father X (Ed. Note: For discretionary reasons we prefer to use the fictitious initial "X" so as not to identify the priest at this time.) had told her to say because if the true message were to be given out it would scandalize the whole world. What the Blessed Mother had said through the Archangel was that "THERE ARE MANY CARDINALS, BISHOPS, AND PRIESTS THAT ARE WALKING THE PATH OF PERDITION AND ARE TAKING MANY SOULS WITH THEM." So I tried to correct Conchita. I told her that it was her obligation and absolute responsibility to say The Message exactly the way it was given to her but she said that that was what Father X told her to say.

I then talked to Conchita's mother, Aniceta, and told her that she should try to convince Conchita to relay the "true" Message exactly the way it was given to her. After that, Father X brought it to my attention and we had a big argument over this. I told Father X that the Blessed Mother was free to say whatever Message She wished to convey and that The Message should be delivered exactly the way it was given. But Conchita said, "It's all said and done and that is the way I have already said it." (Ed. Note: Conchita has clarified her statement by reasoning that, "Cardinals and Bishops ARE priests.) Then I told them, that I would say The Message exactly the way the Blessed Mother had conveyed it and that is that: "THERE ARE MANY CARDINALS, BISHOPS, AND PRIESTS THAT ARE WALKING THE PATH OF PERDITION AND ARE TAKING MANY SOULS ALONG WITH THEM."

When I was in Mexico, I immediately felt a special enlightment which told me that this was true. That is why I went to Spain. Of course, with my Bishop's permission. And, I haven't changed. NO, I HAVE NOT! I AM ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT THIS IS FROM GOD! Of course, always respecting the Church's last word... but in my sense of faith, I am convinced that this does come from God.

Q: Did you talk to all of the four children while you were in Spain?
A: Yes, I did. I was there three months and I talked to the girls. At that time, they didn't hide anything. They would talk freely describing all the details. I also talked with Father Ramon Garcia de la Riva who was a priest from another town. He had attended many of the apparitions. I also spoke with a Jesuit priest whose name I cannot recall. He was also very learned and very knowledgeable. Father said that this was truly from God. He had determined this after he had tested the seers even though he had been there for the apparitions. What convinced me the most was the testimony of Father Ramon Garcia de la Riva who was one of the pastors of a church in one of the nearby towns. He attended many of the apparitions because as you know the Blessed Mother appeared over 2000 times. Her apparitions were from 1961 to 1965 and She appeared (almost) everyday during (the early part of) those four years... sometimes once, twice, three ...even five times a day. There were times the apparitions were not public. The Blessed Mother would sometimes appear during the night or in the middle of the night.

Q: Did you know that the children while in ecstasy walked arm-in-arm in front of the church without their feet touching the ground?
A: They seemed to be floating in the air, yet they were walking. There were youngsters from the town along with their brothers and sisters who tried to catch up with them and could not. It wasn't that they were running because they were walking their normal walk... but it appeared as though they were sliding and floating in the air making it almost impossible to keep up with them. Conchita's oldest brother, Serafin told me that on one occasion she had an ecstasy all by herself up at The Pines. When she returned to her house which is about 300 to 500 meters from The Pines, (Ed. Note: approx. 1/4 of a mile) she returned on her knees moving backwards. Because there were so many rocks coming down from that hill, Conchita's brother remembers praying to God, asking: "Why is God permitting Conchita to kneel... moving that way when she could be hurting her knees because of those rocks?" He thought, "She is really going to scrape and ruin her knees." But to his amazement when she got up, dusted her knees a little bit and went into the house. He said: "I could not believe my eyes! Conchita had not hurt her knees and did not have one single scratch!" Conchita's brother is totally convinced. He told me: "Father, there is no way that anyone can convince me that this is not from God. THIS MUST BE FROM GOD BECAUSE I MYSELF SAW THIS HAPPEN, it isn't anything that anyone told me."

There were many other forms of ecstasies, very noticeable. However, the exterior part is not what totally convinced me. It was everything. Considering the testimony that these children gave, their conduct, because during the time of the apparitions, the children behaved very well, their assistance at Holy Mass, their reception of Holy Communion, their obedience to their parents, in other words ...their total behavior was very good. Even the town in general, when I first arrived, was a model-of-a-town. Later when tourists began to come just out of curiosity, things started to change a bit. But I was very lucky to have been there in 1965 to experience the simplicity of Garabandal a "model" town in which everyone believed in the apparitions.

Q: Were you there during the last apparition of Our Blessed Mother in November 1965?
A: No. Well... when I left, I asked Conchita if there was going to be another apparition and she said she didn't know. So I left with her a piece of paper with five questions for the Blessed Mother together with a rosary to give to Her. I told Conchita if the Blessed Mother came to ask Her those five questions and to have Her kiss my rosary. When I went back to Mexico, in November, there was a letter waiting for me from Conchita in which she stated: "I have just had an apparition of the Blessed Mother at The Pines and I gave Her the rosary for Her to kiss as well as the five questions that you wanted me to give Her. When I told Her that the rosary was for Father Gustavo, the Blessed Mother smiled and kissed the rosary" ...which is the one that I have and I always carry with me ...this one. (Ed. Note: At this point Father showed me the rosary allowing me to venerate it.) Conchita said for me to keep It because, The Blessed Mother promised: "With this rosary, Jesus would do miracles BEFORE and AFTER The Promised Miracle." (Ed. Note: For further details regarding The Promised Miracle, Click Here). I have verified this because when I was in South America, in Peru, I was able to help a young boy who had an accident and the doctors thought he would die but in about eight days the lad had recovered and was well. There have been several other instances in which this rosary that The Blessed Mother kissed has convinced me that it does perform miracles just as The Blessed Mother promised. (Ed. Note: The Blessed Mother's promise of healings is attached to the many objects kissed by Her at Garabandal. In fact, She asked that they be distributed to others. She also promised: "All those who wear them with faith and confidence will do their purgatory on earth, that is, the purgatory that they would have to do ordinarily after death.")

Q: During the time that you were in Garabandal, were there any apparitions?
A: No, there were none. None during the three months that I was there.

Q: Father, did you talk to any of the people who were present during the "Night Of the Screams?"
A: Yes, I talked with every one. First I talked with the parents of the children and then with as many as I could talk with. I interviewed them all because I wanted to have a true picture of what had happened there. After all, that is why I went there. I wanted to study the situation. And what I heard the most, was about the ecstasies during the "Night Of The Screams." On that evening, The Blessed Mother told the girls that She wanted them to go up to "The Pines" alone, but before evening the whole town knew about it so everyone followed the girls. At a certain point, the girls said: "From this point on, you cannot pass." And from that point on, no one was able to follow. It was as if a strong force pushed them back. However, the girls were able to go up to "The Pines" by themselves because from the point where they told the people where they were not able to pass, no one was able to pass. Shortly thereafter, the girls started crying a very loud lamentation-type of cry. Cries that could be described from sad to somewhat like a type of "terror." It was something terrible. The people were so much impressed by those cries that the following day, everybody... the whole town went to Confession and Holy Communion. The children would talk to me and answer all the questions that I would ask of them. (Ed. Note: The visionaries were shown the "conditional" punishment. Click for further information).

When I first arrived in the town, I went dressed as an ordinary young man so that it would not be discovered that I was a priest. But when I arrived in front of Maria Dolores' house, (Ed. Note: Maria Dolores is also known as Mari-Loli and Loli). I met a friend of mine and we started talking, and Maria Dolores' brother ...I'm sure she should remember this ... came up to me and said, "You are a priest." I said, "No, I'm not" ...and he said, "Yes, you are a priest" ...and I said, "No, I'm even married." Loli was giggling and laughing and then her brother said, "Yes, you are a priest, my sister told me you are." I then turned around and asked Loli, "How do you know this? How do you know that I am a priest? You don't even know me!" And she started laughing. The only explanation is that Loli learned of my state in life through a very special way. I'm sure that Loli remembers this and of course I was very very much astonished that Loli knew that I was a priest and there I was disguised as a layman so that no one would know that I was a priest.

I talked with all of the children, but mostly with Conchita. I used to play with her after dinner and we would talk until ten or eleven o'clock in the evening. At that time, she used to tell me everything. Answer every question that I would ask.

Conchita said that The Blessed Mother had told them that someday they would deny everything. She would say, "I don't know how... I don't know how we could do, that ...we would never do that because I have truly lived all of this and could never deny any of it!" She used to tell me that she was even willing to go to the furthest point of extreme suffering in order to tell the whole truth. Needless to say, that after a year or two had passed, I met with her and she denied everything. She had in a way pushed everything back just as the Blessed Mother had predicted.

A year later I went to visit Father Garcia de la Riva at Barrio and stayed there for a month. I was able to give the girls, Loli, Jacinta, and Malyuca a 3-day retreat. (Ed. Note: The retreat was for the entire school which the girls were attending at the time. Malyuca is not one of the visionaries. She is Loli's older sister.) It was then that I put Mari-Loli to the test to see if she would tell me what The Great Punishment would be that the Blessed Mother talked to them about and why they had cried. She said she could not tell me, but I kept on insisting and she repeatedly told me, "I can't tell you, I can't tell you." Finally, I told her, "Go to the chapel and there decide whether or not you are going to tell me." After being in the chapel for an hour, she came out with a holy card in her hand. She gave it to me and then ran away. The word "COMMUNISM" was written on the card. I stood there looking at the word "COMMUNISM," and I thought to myself: "This does not tell me anything." Later I told Loli: "You have to explain this to me." Then she said, "The Blessed Mother has shown us how Communism will enter into the Church, and this is The Great Punishment. When we saw the consequences, this is what made us cry."

Q: Did you talk with Mari-Cruz?
A: Yes, but by that time she was very reserved and felt humiliated because her parents had caused a lot of problems for her, and for this reason she was afraid to talk. Nevertheless, in 1965 she did say that she had seen The Blessed Mother, but her visions had stopped because many times her parents would not let her leave the house.

Q: And Jacinta?
A: Yes. Jacinta used to tell me everything about her mother and father. Her father used to cry with emotion when he talked about The Blessed Mother because he was so moved. He was a very good man. He told me that on one occasion Jacinta had seen The Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was the only one to see The vision of The Sacred Heart.

Q. Did Conchita ever reveal anything special to you?
A. Well, she used to say to me that if I guessed the day of The Miracle that she would tell me, so I would try to guess the date but I never did. Every time I would give her a date she would say, "No that's not it." Until one time she said, "I will help you to guess. It will happen between the months of February and July and it will be between the 7th and the 17th, but I will not tell you which year." She assured me that The Miracle would not happen in the month of May. I enjoyed talking to Conchita about this while trying to guess the date. (Ed. Note: WE NOW KNOW THAT THE MIRACLE WILL HAPPEN IN APRIL. Of course, only Conchita knows the exact date and year which she will announce 8 days before it happens. However, in the book, "Miracle at Garabandal" authored by Harry Daley; page 89, Conchita is quoted as saying, "I will also tell you that it (meaning the Miracle) is going to happen either in April or May. Since she had already assured Father Morelos back in 1965 that the Miracle would not happen in May, it can safely be concluded that April must be the month in which it will take place. I spoke to Conchita about all these details as recent as April 25, 1988 during a telephone conversation, and while she was not able to recall saying what she did to both Father Morelos and Harry Daley, commenting that she had not read his book, she did not deny saying them nor did she contradict April as being The Miracle month. I pointed out that I intended to publish this information in "The Vigil" unless she said it was not true which she did not do, rather her reply was, "You can do what you want.")

Q. Conchita has said that the Miracle will happen on the Feastday of a Saint that is connected with the Holy Eucharist. Has she said anything further to you about this?
A: Yes, with a Saint who was very much devoted to the Eucharist. She also said that the day of The Miracle will coincide with an important event of the church. At first we thought that it was the Vatican Council, but she said, "No." She said that it would be a great event within the church which has been given on other occasions.

Q: Did Conchita ever mention whether Our Blessed Mother said if there would ever be another world war?
A: I asked them but they said that The Blessed Mother never mentioned any war. She told them about a "Warning" which will be like a punishment, "Like a fire that will not burn our flesh." We will be filled with anxiety and would much prefer to be dead rather than to pass through this ordeal.
(Ed. Note: Click for more detailed description.) They said The Blessed Mother told them about a "Punishment" of a Great Punishment. (Ed. Note: The Great Punishment remains conditional.
Click for more detailed description.) "Men will suffer a great deal because of this. Fire everywhere. In desperation people threw themselves into the seas but even in the water they seemed to burn more." Then the girls asked The Blessed Mother, "What about the children? What will happen to them?" Our Lady answered: "By that time there will be no more children left." (Ed. Note: All the children of the village will be adults.)

Q: Did Conchita ever tell you whether Our Lady said there would never again be another world war?
A: I asked them about a war and they told me: "The Blessed Mother never mentioned another war. She always told us about a "Warning," a "Miracle," and a "Punishment" but not in the form of a war."

Q: Father what did they tell you about the Warning?
A: They said that the Warning would happen all over the world at an unexpected moment, but would not cause death although some could die from fright.

Q: Which of the children told you this?
A: All three...Jacinta, Loli, and Conchita. But Conchita gave me more details. The others would only talk about certain things concerning the Punishment. Conchita was the one who was more informed.

Q: Now about the First Message that The Blessed Mother gave to the world ...in it She said: "The cup is getting full..." and part of Her Final Message is: "The cup is overflowing ..." Can you please explain to me how you interpret this?
A: Yes. I imagine it is very obvious. One thing is that "The cup is filling up" and another thing is ..."That it is already overflowing." That meant that evil was growing everywhere. For instance, when I first started talking about Garabandal during my trips to Latin America, Argentina, Chile, Equador, Panama, people would be scandalized when I told them about The Message, especially that part about "Many Cardinals, Bishops, and Priests ..." and later after three or four years these same people had to admit how true The Message was because they had already heard how many Bishops, Cardinals, and Priests either had left the church or caused a scandal. Only because Our Lady had revealed these facts in Her Message, was it possible for these girls, who were living in such a remote mountain area, to be able to foretell these things.

Q: When you first went to Santander, did you visit the bishop?
A: No, I never saw the bishop because I knew that he was against all this. But I was there (in Spain) when he promised to go to Garabandal, so I went there to meet him. We were all waiting for him. He was going to say Mass at the "Valley of the Fallen Ones" (Ed. Note: "Valley of the Fallen Ones" is a special memorial cite in honor of Spain's war dead just outside of Madrid) but when he was coming back he was killed in an automobile accident so we didn't get to see him.

Q: Bishop Puchol?
A: Yes, he was the one that was killed in the accident.

Q: Yes, I know... Puchol?
A: Yes, we were all waiting for him, when we were told that he had had an accident and died. (Ed. Note: Bishop Vincente Puchol Montiz was consecrated as Bishop on August 15,1965 and assigned to the Santander diocese two days later. He was the third Bishop since the onset of the apparitions. He was killed on May 8, 1967.)

Q: When you left Garabandal, did you report back to your bishop in Mexico City? What did you tell him?
A: I told the bishop that I had studied these apparitions and that I was very much convinced of their authenticity, and although he was very surprised he made no comment. Then I started to lecture very fervently about them. But a year later, he prohibited me to continue. So I went to talk to Manuel Pio Lopez, the Archbishop of Jalapa. He told me, "Come to my diocese and I will let you talk to the whole world about the apparitions" ...so I went there, as I was not actually assigned to the diocese of Mexico City... I just worked there as a priest in residence. I notified the bishop in Mexico City that I was moving to a different diocese. When I went to Jalapa the bishop there gave me
a letter authorizing me to talk about Garabandal. So from there I went to South America, and some parts of the United States and Canada.

Q: Wasn't it the bishop of Mexico City that said to you, "For sure, this is going to make you suffer a lot?"
A: Well actually it was Bishop Pio Lopez who said that to me. Another bishop from Saltillo, Bishop Guisar, also gave me a letter authorizing me to promote Garabandal.

Q: Very Good!
A: Now I am waiting for "The Warning" and after The Warning I will be able to say when the Miracle will be because Conchita already told me: "Father, don't you worry about it because you will be one of the first ones to know." So I told her, "How can that be ...if you will be in one place, while I will be in another?" And she said, "Well even so, in the manner in which it will be made known even to you, that will be a miracle. But don't worry about it until after The Warning." So I am waiting for The Warning because I feel that it is getting closer now more than ever.

Conchita's mother told me that she remembered hearing Conchita talking to The Blessed Mother saying: 1) that the road would be completed before The Miracle and, 2) that any outside priest would be able to celebrate Mass in the village church without any restrictions. For sure, when these prophecies are fulfilled, they will be the best signs that The Miracle is very near. (Ed. Note: For many years before the start of the apparitions the three-mile stretch of road which leads from Garabandal to Cosio, the closest village below, was in a very primitive state. Workmen were trying to turn it into a proper and safe road. The job dragged on and on. It seemed never-ending. Since the village of Garabandal is an absolute dead end, it appeared as though the last thing anyone would ever expect was for that road to be actually completed. However, at the expense of the Spanish government, the road is now graveled, and wide enough for buses to travel both ways at the same time. Our Blessed Mother had promised: "Before The Miracle, the road will be fixed.

2) His Excellency, Bishop Juan Antonio del Val Gallo, who has been Bishop in the Santander diocese since January 1972, is Bishop number five. He was a guest on a local TV show in December 1987. At that time he was asked whether there was any prohibition concerning outside priests saying Mass in the village church, He said any priest may now celebrate Holy Mass there without any special permission whatsoever provided that they do not preach about the apparitions during the Mass. Our Blessed Mother had promised: "Before The Miracle the Bishop whoever he is at the time will receive a personal proof about the truth of Garabandal and the prohibition will be over and everybody even the priests will be free to go up to Garabandal for the day of The Miracle.

Q: I have heard many times that the girls cried very much when Our Lady spoke to them about the priests especially Mari-Loli.
A: Yes, The Blessed Mother lamented over the priests. Sometimes She would reveal to the girls that certain priests were straying giving the visionaries messages for them. After transmitting the messages, which the children kept secret, they later forgot about them. Our Lady's lamentation was caused by the many priests who were straying. She told Conchita that the reason why She did not come Herself to bring the Final Message for the world because it "grieved" Her so much. Instead, She sent Michael, The Archangel.

Q: By the very fact that Father Luis Andreu saw the Blessed Mother, it seems to me that She must have a lot of love for priests since he was a priest and the only other person, outside of the four girls, to have seen Her. He was even privileged to have been shown a preview of The Miracle. Did the girls ever say anything to you about him?
A: I am not sure in what form Father Luis saw Our Lady or if he had a dialogue with Her because he did not make any comments ...but it seems to me that the girls did say that he had seen what is to happen on the day of The Miracle.

Q: He said, "What a sweet' and lovely Mother we have in heaven."
A: "Yes, he did say an expression to that effect, and he also said that "It was the happiest day of his life. The people would ask him, "Wasn't the happiest day of your life the day of your ordination?" And his reply was, "Yes, but this is even more beautiful." However, he said things that made it impossible for us to arrive at a concrete conclusion. (Ed. Note: ,Father Luis Maria Andreu Rodamilans was a 38-year old Jesuit priest who during his 2nd visit to Garabandal became the only other person to see Our Blessed Mother at the same time as the four visionaries. He was heard to say: "MIRACLE! MIRACLE! MIRACLE! MIRACLE! The Blessed Virgin told the children that Father Louis was seeing Her and The Miracle too. She seemed to be saying to him: "You will soon be with me." He died less than 12 hours later on August 9, 1961, for no apparent reason other than from complete joy. Our Lady promised: "On the day after The Miracle his body will be found incorrupt." See "The Vigil" May -Aug 1984 for a more detailed account about him.).

Q: I have come to learn that you have visited Padre Pio many times during his lifetime. What year did you first visit him?
A: The first time was in 1957.

Q: Then it was before you heard the story of Garabandal?
A: When I was a child living in Mexico, I had heard about, a saintly priest, and that impressed me very much. In 1957, while I was studying in Rome to be a priest I had a problem ...I was studying philosophy at the time. Then, I had a very serious personal problem. I used to say to myself, "I need a saint who can help me to resolve this problem." I went to my university professors for advice I but was never satisfied. It was then, that I started looking for Padre Pio by making inquiries about a certain priest who was reported to have appeared in the sky towards the end of World War II. It was through his intervention that the American soldiers were held back. And they replied, "yes, his name is Padre Pio." This was the way I finally was able to locate him, talk to him, and find the answer that resolved my problem. Then, I asked him if I could be his spiritual son, and he accepted me. So every time that I was able, I would go and talk with him ...this is how I came to know him. It was later, when, I was in Mexico City that I learned about Garabandal.

Q: Did you ever ask him about the Garabandal Apparitions?
A: No, I didn't ask him, because I was already convinced and I didn't need any confirmation but when Conchita found out that I was on my way to visit Padre Pio she said to me, "Now that you are going, ask Padre Pio to pray very much for me." So then I asked Padre Pio to bless some objects such as photographs of the visionaries, pines from the trees where Our Lady stood in Garabandal. I could see his reaction very clearly. He looked at everything and blessed them. When Padre Pio saw something that wasn't genuine, he would let you know ...but in this case, he just smiled. He had already met and received Conchita in January 1966 when they had a very pleasant chat.

Q: Now, what is the name of this community?
A: "Sons of The Divine Will."

Q: Are you the superior?
A: Well let us say that I am the "oldest" brother.

Q: How long have you been a priest?
A: Last year I celebrated my 25th anniversary.

Q: How many priests belong to this order?
A: Five priests and two deacons.

Q: Did you establish this foundation?
A: Well yes, since I started my studies in Rome, Bishop Luis Maria Martinez (whose cause has been introduced in Rome because he was a saint) sent me there with that purpose in mind. He told me: "It would be a good idea for you to go to Rome so that you can study within the light of the church and to see whether or not this work is from God." He was the one who helped me the most to continue with this as well as a very holy woman who has the stigmata. She has offered her life for the success of this work. During my first year in theology, she told me that I would do this work which would be a great consolation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She also said that it would cause me a lot of suffering. I have continued to move ahead, but I have also seen that it is God who is doing this work. I have not really done much. Actually, I have been more of an obstacle rather than helping. God has done it all.

Q: Is this community, at this time doing parish work?
A: No. I am only at this parish because there is a need here. But we are contemplatives. In our statutes, we state that we will not have a parish. We are dedicated to the contemplative life and spiritual direction in order to direct the souls by means of confession and spiritual exercises. Because of certain circumstances, I find myself here, but I feel out of place.

Q: What do the groups do that have been established in the United States?
A: The same thing that we do… Live the "Divine Will." Once a person enters into the life of the "Divine Will" he doesn't want to know about anything else. The souls that God has been calling to this work, happen to be the same ones whom we knew from Garabandal. These are the same people who have initiated the work of the "Divine Will." These souls tend to try to live a quiet, contemplative life. It is not to become priests or to have churches, nor to become missionaries but to live the "Divine Will."