Remains of Mexican archbishop to be exhumed May 12

Mexico City, Mexico, Apr 25, 2011 / 12:06 pm

Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera announced that the remains of the Servant of God Luis Maria Martinez will be exhumed as part of the late archbishop’s cause for canonization.
 
Cardinal Rivera issued a decree explaining that Archbishop Martinez's cause for canonization is currently before Vatican officials, reported the Archdiocese of Mexico City's news service. The cardinal noted that the officials are “analyzing his documented biography and the scientific investigation into his Christian virtues which he lived to a heroic degree.”
 
“Those who knew this great pastor and his work, the Servant of God Luis Maria Martinez, first auxiliary bishop of Morelia and later archbishop of Mexico City, fervently desire he be raised to the altars,” the cardinal said.
 
Cardinal Rivera said his predecessor “did not only attract many people to the Catholic Church, but also lived through a very important time of reconciliation among Mexicans after the religious persecution.”
 
Fr. Gerardo Sanchez Sanchez, who oversees the causes of saints for the Archdiocese of Mexico City, said Catholics will be able to attend the ceremony transferring the late archbishop’s remains to a cathedral chapel.

However, Cardinal Rivera stated in his decree, “(s)pecial attention must be given that the remains of the Servant of God are not given public veneration.”
 
Archbishop Martinez led the Archdiocese of Mexico City from 1937 to 1956 during a difficult period following the Masonic-led persecution of the Church in Mexico.
 
He was known for his good judgment and moral authority in dealing with the administration of that time and for his extensive pastoral work, not only within the archdiocese but also throughout the nation.