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Jaime Cardinal Sin, also Jaime Lachica Sin (August
31, 1928–June
21, 2005) (Chinese
name: 辛海梅; 辛海棉), was an
archbishop
of the
Roman Catholic Church in the
Philippines. He led the
Archdiocese of Manila as its
archbishop
and was later elevated to the rank of
cardinal by
Pope
Paul VI. He concurrently served as
Primate of the Philippines. He retired as the
Archbishop
of Manila on
September 15, 2003
and was succeeded by
Gaudencio Borbon Rosales. He was only the third native Filipino Archbishop
of Manila, following centuries of
Spanish,
American and
Irish episcopacy. He died at the age of 76 on
June 21,
2005.
His name should not be confused with "cardinal
sin", which is a synonym for the
seven deadly sins.
Priesthood and episcopacy
Sin was born in
New Washington,
Aklan,
Philippines to Juan Sin (of
Chinese ancestry) and Maxima Lachica. He was the seventh of sixteen
children. He eventually left his boyhood home and his family to study in
seminary.
On April 3,
1954, he was
ordained
to the
presbyterium and became a priest of the
Archdiocese of Jaro. He was appointed its
auxiliary bishop on
February
10, 1967.
Following his appointment, he was ordained as
bishop of the
titular
see of Obba on
March 18 of
that year. On
March 15, 1972,
Sin was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Jaro, taking on administrative roles
in the archdiocese. Concurrently, he was created
archbishop
of the titular see of Massa Lubrense. On
October 8,
1972, Sin assumed
the office of Archbishop of Jaro, taking full control of the archdiocese.
Sin's service as Archbishop of Jaro ended with his appointment on
January 21,
1974 to the larger
archdiocese seated in the nation's capital of
Manila. Sin was
officially installed as Archbishop of Manila at
Manila Cathedral on
March 19,
1974. On
May 24 of
1976, Pope Paul VI
summoned Sin to the
Holy See to
be elevated into membership of the
College of Cardinals, created
Cardinal Priest of the titular church of Santa Maria ai Monti. He remained
the youngest member of the College until
1983.
Retirement and death
He retired as the
Archbishop
of Manila on
September 15, 2003
and was succeeded by
Gaudencio Borbon Cardinal Rosales. He was too ill to travel to the
2005 Conclave which elected
Pope Benedict XVI.
The prelate — for years afflicted with a
kidney ailment
brought on by
diabetes — was taken on
June 19,
2005 to the
Rufino Cardinal Santos Medical Center in
San Juan, Metro Manila because of a slight but lingering fever. He died of
renal
failure on
June 21, 2005
at 6:15 a.m. at the
age of 76.
People Power Movement
Events in the Philippines under
President
Ferdinand Marcos forced Sin, the spiritual leader of all Filipino Catholics,
to become involved in the
politics of
the region. He became witness to
corruption, fraud
and even murder
at the hands of the
regime — events that pushed Filipinos on the brink of civil unrest and even
war. Sin appealed to Filipinos of all religions to follow the teachings of
Jesus in the
Gospels and use
peaceful means to change the political situation in the Philippines.
At the same time, President Marcos and
First Lady
Imelda Marcos, appealed to Sin to side with the regime. Sin respectfully
pleaded with the president and first lady to refrain from unleashing the armed
forces against Filipinos marching in the streets of Manila. President Marcos
ordered his generals to deploy against the marchers, however, tanks and troops
were stopped in the streets with people on their knees praying the
Rosary and
singing
English language translations of sacred hymns. Some soldiers decided to join
the marchers. Cardinal Sin was convinced it was a miracle granted by the faith
of his followers in God and nonviolence.
What later became known as the People Power Movement or the
EDSA Revolution, President Marcos, his family and close advisors were forced
to flee the Philippines — taking up residence in
Honolulu, Hawaii upon the invitation of
President of the United States
Ronald Reagan. Cardinal Sin, along with Presidents
Corazon Aquino and
Fidel
Ramos, became known to Filipinos as the architects of the People Power
Movement.
Sin was called upon again in
2001 to become the
spiritual leader of
another People
Power Movement. Filipinos alleged that President
Joseph Estrada was guilty of widespread corruption and graft. Marches in the
streets, with the support of Sin, succeeded in toppling President Estrada from
power and elevating
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as his successor.
Sin was decorated three times by the Philippine government. The first was by
President Corazon C. Aquino, who conferred him with the
Philippine Legion of Honor, rank of Chief Commander; the second, by
President
Joseph Estrada, who conferred on him the
Order of Sikatuna, rank of Rajah; the final time was shortly after his
retirement, when President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conferred on him the Order of
Lakandula, rank of Bayani (Grand Cross).
His name prompted many jokes – a cardinal sin is one of the
seven deadly sins – and Sin himself made light of it. He often referred to
his residence as "the house of Sin."[1]
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