THE GENIUS OF CARDINAL SIN

By Philip M. Lustre Jr.

When ranged against those dime-a-dozen Catholic and non-Catholic prelates and ministers dabbling in Philippine politics, the late Jaime Cardinal Sin casts an incomparable shadow to the extent that not one of them would approximate his greatness.

These current-day religious leaders are many times inferior to Sin, who showed to the world how a religious leader could influence a poor, deeply polarized society.

Sin was a genius; although a religious leader, Sin knew his politics. He was at the right place at the right time, as he spoke with unmatchable firmness that even dictator Ferdinand Marcos could not ignore.

He was not as theologically brilliant as his contemporaries like Popes Francis, Benedict XVI, or John Paul II, but he proved to be the biggest thorn of the Marcos dictatorship, which the Catholic prelate viewed with disdain.

Sin’s unparalleled contributions, specifically the country’s return to democracy from dictatorship, had stemmed from two factors: the policy of “critical collaboration,” which he pursued without letup during his prelature at the Archdiocese of Manila, the biggest in the country, and his unquestionable integrity.

When he became the Archbishop of Manila in 1974, Sin laid out his policy of critical collaboration, where he expressed his desire for the Church to peacefully coexist with the Marcos dictatorship but reserve its right to criticize the many issues like wanton human rights violations and its perpetuation in power without any semblance of legitimacy.

Sin’s critical collaboration policy was carefully couched along euphemistic and pragmatic terms. But, as history show, his policy was largely criticism than collaboration.

Although it was not new and since he borrowed it from his colleagues in South America, who had troubles with dictatorial regimes there, Sin effectively used this policy. Marcos was never comfortable with him and the Church policy.

The dictator used every means to co-opt Sin to his side, but the Manila prelate never gave him the satisfaction to support his dictatorship. It was a tantalizing success, as shown by the dictator’s dramatic ouster in the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution.

I once covered a meeting of the Rotary Club of Manila, where Sin spoke as its guest speaker. Before those businessmen, Sin uttered a pronouncement that shook Marcos.

“It is the Church, which would sound the bell for their doom,” Sin in what was his way to denounce the dictatorship. That was in 1983, or weeks after the August 21, 1983 assassination of martyred Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr.

Sin was also credited for brokering the Cory Aquino – Doy Laurel ticket that gave Marcos the political nightmare in 1986.

Without Sin working on the background for the Cory-Doy ticket, Marcos could have won handily in 1986 “snap” presidential elections, as Doy Laurel was bent to run as the third presidential candidate to weaken Cory’s chances as the opposition candidate to face Marcos.

Sin’s sense of perfect timing, or the ability to discern when to speak the right things at the right time, was tested during the nascent stage of the EDSA Revolution in 1986.

Without Sin’s urgent call for the Filipino people to go and support the rebel forces led by Johnny Enrile and Fidel Ramos, it would be inconceivable if the world would ever witness the near bloodless EDSA People Power Revolution. Most likely, Marcos could have obliterated the rebel forces holed in Camps Aguinaldo and Crame.

Without Sin’s frantic call for the people to express their solidarity with the rebel forces, the military uprising at EDSA could have been a mere footnote in history.

Sin’s call was decisive to allow the people to participate in what could be described as the biggest political upheaval in the country’s modern history.

Sin’s attraction as a political player deeply respected by every political leader stemmed deeply from his unquestioned sense of integrity.

No, he never kowtowed to Marcos in exchange for some pieces of gold or silver. No, he was never sweet with Imelda, who represented the other half of the conjugal dictatorship. Sin was never part of the dictatorship, but instead chose to fight it.

He was far different from those noisy bishops, who practically sold their souls to the devil in exchange for Mitsubishi vehicles. Sin did his way quietly, but effectively.