Decree of the Council of Bishops of the Diaspora District of ROCA

To canonize as a holy martyr Joseph (José) Muñoz-Cortéz murdered in Athens in 1997, the guardian of the myrrh-streaming Iveron-Montreal Icon. To perform the canonization on the day of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, February 4, 2024 in the church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Sydney (Australia).

Until the day of the canonization, let us intensify our prayers for the repose of Brother Joseph’s soul, serving pannichidas for him, in faith that the holy martyr prays for us, who commemorate him.

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According to Church tradition, the canonization of a new saint is the prerogative of the Church to which he belonged. Brother Joseph was a son of ROCA, and therefore it is our sacred duty to proclaim his holiness and to perform his solemn glorification. General canonization can be performed only by the fulness of the Church, by decision of her Council of Bishops. Our Diaspora District is only one part of the Russian Church.  Therefore, we can only perform local canonization within the boundaries of our dioceses. 

Local canonization of saints is an ancient church tradition. As a rule, the saints were originally venerated in the places where they struggled, or where their relics were laid. And only with time did their local veneration become church-wide.

We do not know who were Brother Joseph’s murderers, but the circumstances of his martyrdom indicate that his murder was a carefully planned operation, carried out with the professionalism of the secret services. Before his death, Brother Joseph was subjected to tortures and left to die of suffocation. But who could be hindered by the humble servant of God, Joseph? The only reason for his suffering and death was his ministry to the Church, his ministry to the Mother of God. In the months leading up to the murder, Brother Joseph had received numerous threats; he knew that his life was in danger, but he decided to go his way to the end. Therefore, there is no doubt that Brother Joseph Muñoz-Cortéz is a holy martyr.

Since the early Church, martyrs were glorified by the Church by virtue of the very fact of martyrdom, and no other evidence of holiness was required. People’s veneration of Brother Joseph has not ceased from the very time of his martyrdom. Now the time has come to confirm this veneration of the martyr by an episcopal decree.

+Archbishop Andronik

+Bishop Andrei