Lluís Martínez Sistach (born 29 April 1937, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain) is a Cardinal and Archbishop emeritus of Barcelona.

Martínez Sistach is the son of Juan Martínez Puig, a commercial representative, and María Sistach Masllorens, a housewife; they had three children, two girls and Lluís; they resided in the neighborhood of Guinardó, where his two sisters still live. He studied bachillerato at Colegio de la Inmaculada of the Marist Brothers, Barcelona from 1942–53. He entered the Major Seminary of Barcelona, studying there from 1954–61. He was ordained a priest on 17 September 1961. He left Spain to study in Rome at the Pontifical Lateran University from 1962–67 where he earned a doctorate utriusque iuris (in both canon and civil law) in 1967; his dissertation, "El Derecho de asociación en la Iglesia", was published by the Theological Faculty of Catalonia.

In 1987 Martínez Sistach was appointed Titular Bishop of Algeciras and auxiliary bishop of Barcelona. He was appointed Bishop of Tortosa in 1991. In 1997 he became Archbishop of Tarragona. In 2004 he became Archbishop of Barcelona. On 17 October 2007, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would make Sistach a Cardinal. Martínez Sistach was elevated to the College of Cardinals in the consistory at St. Peter's Basilica on 24 November 2007, becoming Cardinal-Priest of San Sebastiano alle Catacombe. Cardinal Martínez Sistach, in addition to his duties as Archbishop, is a member of various offices of the Roman Curia.

In May 2008 Pope Benedict named Martínez Sistach to the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. On 12 June 2008, Pope Benedict named Cardinal Martínez Sistach as a member of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, and as a member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

Cardinal Martínez Sistach received Pope Benedict XVI when Pope Benedict visited Barcelona and Santiago de Compostela in 2010; this was Pope Benedict's first Papal Visit to Barcelona, and his second Papal Visit to Spain. While in Barcelona, Pope Benedict consecrated the Sagrada Familia Church; in Santiago de Compostela, Pope Benedict attended the Jacobeo Holy Year. This is Pope Benedict's first Papal Visit to either of these places. Previously, Pope Benedict had visited Spain in July 2006, in order to attend the Fifth World Meeting of Families in Valencia. Pope Benedict subsequently visited Spain again for a third time in August 2011 for the 2011 XXVI World Youth Day in Madrid.

On Tuesday, 18 September 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named Cardinal Martínez Sistach to serve as one of the papally-appointed Synod Fathers 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 selected Pope Francis. Pope Francis accepted his retirement on November 6, 2015.

[September 2016]

Source: Wikipedia