Cardinal Jaime Sin RIP

The long-time Philippine Cardinal passed away on Tuesday at age 76.

I'm married to a Filipina and one of the first jokes I learned about the country was they had an original sin for Cardinal. Seriously, Cardinal Sin was for a long-time one of the most influential people in that predominantly Catholic Country. He bravely stood up to the Marcoses in 1986 when the People Power revolution began to gain momentum.

An interesting bit of trivia. At the October 1978 conclave to elect Pope John Paul I successor Cardinal Sin shared a room with another Cardinal. He was Karol Wojtyła the Cardinal of Krakow and soon to be Pope John Paul II.

The full story can be found at- http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/06/20/ppines.sin.obit/index.html

MANILA, Philippines -- Catholic Cardinal Jaime Sin, who played a leading role in the 1986 "People Power" uprising that forced longtime President Ferdinand Marcos from power, died Tuesday at age 76, the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Manila said.

Sin had been in ill health for about a year and was unable to take part in the April conclave in Rome, Italy that named Pope Benedict XVI as the church's new leader.

The Cardinal suffered kidney problems and diabetes and is reported on Philippine radio to have died of multiple organ failure.

Sin died about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday (10:30 p.m. Monday GMT), church officials said.

"History will mark its day of sadness when a great liberator of the Filipino people and a champion of God passed away," President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said in a statement, adding she was guided many times by "his wisdom and profound love for the poor and oppressed."
"Cardinal Sin leaves a legacy of freedom and justice forged in deep personal courage," she said.

Sin, who was named a cardinal in 1976, called his followers in the predominantly Catholic nation onto the streets in 1986 to support anti-government protests after Marcos declared himself the winner of a disputed presidential election.

The cardinal's support for the protests helped bring down Marcos, who had ruled the country for 21 years with U.S. backing under a decree of martial law.

Independent counts gave the win to Corazon Aquino, the widow of long-time Marcos rival Benigno Aquino, who had been assassinated in 1983.

But the country's problems continued, partly because of the endemic corruption that blossomed under Marcos. "We got rid of Ali Baba, but the 40 thieves remained," Sin once quipped.