Tribute to Alberto Martín

“AAlberto Martin-Artajo He is one of the personalities that marked the future of Spain in the 20th century”, assured the professor of the CEU San Pablo University Jesús Cogollos this Friday during the presentation of the book Alberto Martin-Artajo. Passion for the common good in Santander. The act, which was part of the summer course of the Catholic Association of Propagandists (ACdP)served as a tribute to who was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1945 to 1957 and president of the ACdP between 1959 and 1965.

«He was an evolutionist, an evolutionist of the Franco regime; anticipated the transition with a reforming program that he continually raised”, the book’s editor, Pablo Sanchez Garrido, National Secretary for Canonization Causes of the ACdP. Sánchez Garrido defended that Martín-Artajo proposed a program that included the defalangization of the regimethe dismantling of the single party or the opening of channels for greater freedom of the press.

Antonio Martín-Artajo anticipated the transition with a reforming program, which he continually raisedPablo Sanchez GarridoNational Secretary for Canonization Causes of the ACdP

Sánchez Garrido noted that for participating in the Franco regime, the minister received the label of collaborationist by critical propagandists such as Gil Robles, but claimed his contribution to the openness of the regime, with achievements such as the signing of the Concordat with the Holy See in August 1953. “We should be proud of the figure of Martín-Artajo for his contribution to Spain and to the Church,” he concluded.

personal dimension

Other participants delved into the personal dimension of Martín-Artajo. For her daughter Mercedes Martín-Artajo, her father was “above all a good man, concerned about social justice.” she highlighted the influence exerted on him by his mentor and friend Ángel Herrera Oria, and defended that he was a very religious man, but that he was not a Comesantos: «His spirituality did not take his feet off the ground; he believed in men because he believed in God».

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcelino Oreja highlighted Martín-Artajo that He was «a generous, good man, open to dialogue and understanding»while Francisco Rico, Professor Emeritus of the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, celebrated the “affection” that Martín-Artajo professed for the ACdP.

For his part, the director of the Colegio Mayor Universitario de San Pablo, Carlos Gregorio Hernández, insisted on some vital keys of Martín-Artajo, such as humility, helpfulness or excellence. He praised his intellectual preparation – with special interest in reading the encyclicals of the popes – and pointed out that he did not define himself as a Christian Democrat, but as a “social Catholic”.