Lluís Martínez i Sistach

Lluís Martínez i Sistach (born 29 April 1937) is a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church. He is Archbishop emeritus of Barcelona, having served as archbishop there from 2004 to 2015. He has been a cardinal since 2007.

His Eminence Luis Martínez i Sistach
Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus of Barcelona
Diocese	Barcelona
Appointed	15 June 2004
Installed	18 July 2004
Term ended	6 November 2015
Predecessor	Ricardo María Carles Gordó
Successor	Joan Josep Omella i Omella
Other posts	Cardinal-Priest of S. Sebastiano alle Catacombe
Orders
Ordination	17 September 1961 by Gregorio Modrego y Casaus
Consecration	27 December 1987 by Narcís Jubany Arnau
Created cardinal	24 November 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI
Rank	Cardinal-Priest
Personal details
Birth name	Lluís Martínez i Sistach
Born	29 April 1937 Barcelona, Spain
Nationality	Spanish
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Parents	Joan Martínez i Puig and Maria Sistach i Masllorens
Previous post	Auxiliary Roman Catholic Bishop of Barcelona and Titular Bishop of Aliezira (1987–1992) Roman Catholic Bishop of Tortosa (1992–1997) Roman Catholic Archbishop of Tarragona (1997–2004)
Motto	Charitas Christi virget nos
Coat of arms

Styles of Lluís Martínez i Sistach
Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal
See	Barcelona

Ordination history of Lluís Martínez i Sistach
History Episcopal consecration Consecrated by Narcís Jubany Arnau (Barcelona) Date 27 December 1987 Cardinalate Elevated by Pope Benedict XVI Date 24 November 2007
Episcopal succession Bishops consecrated by Lluís Martínez i Sistach as principal consecrator Francesc-Xavier Ciuraneta i Aymi 14 September 1991 Jaume Pujol i Balcells 19 September 2004

Sistach was born on 29 April 1937 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, the son of Joan Martínez i Puig, a commercial representative, and Maria Sistach i Masllorens, a housewife. He had two sisters. The family resided in the neighborhood of Guinardó. He studied at Marist Brothers' Colꞏlegi de la Immaculada in Barcelona from 1942 to 1953 and at the Major Seminary of Barcelona from 1954 to 1961. He was ordained a priest on 17 September 1961. He studied at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome from 1962 to 1967 where he earned a doctorate utriusque iuris (in both canon and civil law) in 1967. His dissertation, "El Derecho de asociación en la Iglesia" (The right of association in the Church), was published by the Theological Faculty of Catalonia.

In 1987 Sistach was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Barcelona with the titular see of Algeciras. He was appointed Bishop of Tortosa in 1991. In 1997 he became Archbishop of Tarragona and in 2004 he became Archbishop of Barcelona.

Pope Benedict XVI made him a cardinal in the consistory held on 24 November 2007.[1] He became Cardinal-Priest of San Sebastiano alle Catacombe.

He opposed legislation introduced in the Catalan parliament in December 2007 requiring local governments to set aside land for mosques and other places of worship. He said that "A church, a synagogue or a mosque are not the same thing" and that the law "impinges on our ability to exercise a fundamental right, that of religious liberty."[2]

Sistach is also a member of various offices of the Roman Curia. In May 2008 Pope Benedict named Sistach to the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. On 12 June 2008, Pope Benedict named him a member of the Apostolic Signatura and a member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.[3]

Sistach received Pope Benedict XVI when Pope Benedict visited Barcelona and Santiago de Compostela in 2010.[4]

On 18 September 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named Sistach a Synod Father for the October 2012 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization.

He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.[5]

When some prelates criticized the document that summarized the deliberations of the October 2014 Synod of Bishops, Sistach defended the document, saying "It is far from being complete, but it is an unbiased summary." He added: "We must all convert ourselves, and conversion is a painful experience."[6]

Pope Francis accepted his retirement on 6 November 2015.[7]

References

1. Vidal, José Manuel (25 November 2007). "El anillo de los Príncipes de la Iglesia". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 June 2017.
2. Burnett, Victoria (16 March 2008). "Spain's Many Muslims Face Dearth of Mosques". New York Times. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
3. "Other Pontifical Acts". EWTN. Vatican Information Service. 12 June 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
4. Ivereigh, Austen (7 November 2010). "Pope consecrates Sagrada Familia". America. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
5. Wooden, Cindy (15 February 2013). "Conclave to silence at least nine tweeting cardinals". National Catholic Reporter. Catholic News Service.
6. McElwee, Joshua J. (15 October 2014). "Synod document an 'unbiased summary,' Spanish cardinal says". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
7. Baquero, Camilo S. (6 November 2015). "Juan José Omella será el nuevo arzobispo de Barcelona". El Pais (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 June 2017.

External links

• "Martínez Sistach Card. Lluís". Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
• Biography, Archdiocese of Barcelona website