Cardinal Sin was only the third native Filipino Archbishop of Manila, following centuries of Spanish, American and Irish episcopacy. He led the Archdiocese of Manila as its archbishop and was made cardinal by Pope Paul VI. As Archbishop of Manila, he was widely considered Primate of the Philippines, though no formal dignity has ever been attached to the archdiocese. He retired as the Archbishop of Manila on 15 September 2003, having reached the age of retirement for bishops under Canon Law, and was succeeded by Gaudencio Rosales.