Why isn’t Martin Luther King Jr. a proclaimed saint, even though he’s not “Catholic”? Martin Luther King Jr. is with God in Heaven, even though he is “Baptist”. Isn’t the miracle of restoring Civil Rights African Americans more than enough?
Dear friend,
Sainthood is the result of personal holiness. Martin Luther King, Jr, accomplished much to break down the barriers of racial injustice in our country, but even if he were a Catholic, his marital infidelity would rule out any consideration regarding a cause for canonization.
“Ralph Abernathy: ‘Martin and I were away more often than we were at home; and while this was no excuse for extramarital relations, it was a reason. Some men are better able to bear such deprivations than others, though all of us in SCLC headquarters had our weak moments. We all understood and believed in the biblical prohibition against sex outside of marriage. It was just that he had a particularly difficult time with that temptation.
Source: “And the Walls Came Tumbling Down” and Snopes’”
marriage.about.com/od/politics/p/martincoretta.htm
Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.