FIRST PRIMATE OF MEXICO

After serving as auxiliary bishop of Morelia, in February 1937, he was appointed the archbishop of Mexico City by Pope Pius XI. He served until his death in 1956, and guided his flock through a difficult transition following a period of virulent anti-clericalism and Masonic-led persecution of the Church in Mexico.

The archbishop Martínez was a close friend of Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas, dating back to their youth in Michoacán. The good working relationship of both men during the Cárdenas administration (1934–1940) bridged a gap between church and state, and helped subdue the bitter animosity between Catholics and leftists that had lingered since the Mexican Revolution. The archbishop kept his friendly, pro-government stance through the succeeding administrations of Manuel Ávila Camacho, Miguel Alemán Valdés, and Adolfo Ruiz Cortines.

He maintained a steady belief in democracy and publicly urged citizens to vote. During World War II, he spoke out strongly against fascism and groups that sought to align Mexicowith the Axis powers. As described in an obituary, "his adherence to the democratic cause was the more notable in those days in that some of the more strident pro-Axis groups were largely Catholic in composition".

During the regime of Cardenas’ successor, General Manuel Ávila Camacho, the Archbishop instituted a national Catholic campaign to wipe out illiteracy. He obtained government assistance to refurbish the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

He was known as well for his tender pastoral care and his wisdom as a spiritual director. At the core of his life, thought, and work, was always Jesus Christ. 

In 1951, Archbishop Martínez received the honorific title of Primate of Mexico, the first such officeholder in the Church.

 He died on February 9, 1956, in Mexico Cityand was buried beneath the altar of the Metropolitan Cathedral. An estimated hundred thousand mourners came to pay their respects before the funeral. 

 Among his books are The Sanctifier, Only Jesus (considered his magnum opus) and Secrets of the Interior Life.

“We priests must be victims by reason of our loving sacrifice; we must be altars by reason of our purity. The soul that shares in the mystical priesthood of Jesus must necessarily be priest, victim, and altar, that is, that soul must be Jesus.”