Lluís Martínez i Sistach

In this Catalan name, the family name is Martínez.

His Eminence Luis Martínez i Sistach
Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus of Barcelona
File:Mons. Martinez Sistach (30277911963).jpg
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	(1937-04-29) 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	Luis Martínez i Sistach's coat of arms

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

Ordination history of Lluís Martínez i Sistach
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecrator	Narcís Jubany Arnau (Barcelona)
Date of consecration	27 December 1987
Cardinalate
Elevated by	Pope Benedict XVI
Date of elevation	24 November 2007
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

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.

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. 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."

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.

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

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.

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."

Pope Francis accepted his retirement on 6 November 2015.

External links

• Biography, Archdiocese of Barcelona website

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Ramón Daumal Serra	Auxiliary Bishop of Barcelona 6 November 1987 – 17 May 1991	Succeeded by Carles Soler Perdigó
Preceded by Altivo Pacheco Ribeiro	— TITULAR — Titular Bishop of Algeciras 6 November 1987 – 17 May 1991	Succeeded by Joan Carrera Planas
Preceded by Ricardo María Carles Gordó	Bishop of Tortosa 17 May 1991 – 20 February 1997	Succeeded by Javier Salinas Viñals
Preceded by Ramón Torrella Cascante	Archbishop of Tarragona 20 February 1997 – 15 June 2004	Succeeded by Jaume Pujol Balcells
Preceded by Ricardo María Carles Gordó	Archbishop of Barcelona 15 June 2004 – 6 November 2015	Succeeded by Joan Josep Omella i Omella
Preceded by Johannes Willebrands	Cardinal-Priest of San Sebastiano alle Catacombe 24 November 2007 –	Incumbent