-- Cardinal Sin to Wayne Weible

"It began in February, 1986, as the virtual twenty-year dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos came to an abrupt and unexpected end through a series of strange events. Corazon Aquino, the widow and reluctant political replacement of slain opposition leader Ninoy Aquino, had won the presidential election. In a stunning upset, she was elected by an overwhelming margin in the snap election, called for by Marcos himself. The Cardinal pointed out that Marcos had called for elections in order to crush the building opposition. However, through ballot box stuffing and other illegal activities, plus a total control of the media, Marcos flagrantly had himself declared the winner

The rigged election results were blatant and obvious to neutral observers and also to the people. Within days, millions took to the streets of Makati and Manila, spurred to action when a dissatisfied segment of the military launched an unexpected coup attempt.... Marcos responded to the rebellion and coup attempt by sending tanks down the streets of the city. He was determined to maintain his grip on the country, even if it meant massacre of the swelling crowds.

As a full convoy of tanks and other armament manned by hard-core militant soldiers came against millions of civilians, many of whom were virtually lying down in the streets in front of the tanks, Marcos gave the order to fire on the people.

Cardinal Sin leaned forward in his chair, smiling.

'What I am telling you now was told to me by many of these same soldiers who were ready to fire on the people.'

Reclining again, he continued.

'The tanks were trying to penetrate the crowd. And the people were praying and showing their rosaries. That is when, according to these soldiers, the Marines who were riding on top of the tanks, the so-called Loyalists (to Marcos), they saw up in the clouds the form of the cross. The many sisters had tried to stop them, but they (the soldiers) told me they had already decided to obey instruction and push through. It is now just a question of ten minutes or so. You push the trigger and there you are -- everybody will be dead.'

Again, the Cardinal leaned forward.

'Then, a beautiful lady appeared to them. I don't know if she appeared in the sky or was standing down on the ground. (Others would later tell me they thought she was a nun, dressed in blue, and that she was standing in front of the tanks.) So beautiful she was, and her eyes were sparkling. And the beautiful lady spoke to them like this: 'Dear soldiers, stop! Do not proceed! Do not harm my children! And when they heard that, the soldiers put down everything. They came down from the tanks and they joined the people. So, that was the end of the Loyalists.'

Cardinal Sin paused, turning his hands upward.

'I don't know who these soldiers are. All I know is that they came here crying to me. They did not tell me that is was the Virgin. They told me only that it was beautiful sister. But you know,'

he paused, laughing heartily,

'I have seen all the sisters in Manila, and there are no beautiful ones. So it must have been the Virgin!'

What a story -- and what a sense of humor! Here was a powerful figure of the Philippine Catholic Church, able to add such a wonderful touch to another stunning supernatural visit by Our Lady. But being a journalist, I had to ask: 'Cardinal, do you really believe it was Our Lady that the people and the soldiers saw?'

Cardinal Sin did not hesitate.

'Yes, My heart was telling me, this was Mary. And since they obeyed this woman who appeared to them and did not follow orders and fire on the people, then Marcos had nobody anymore. So, he had to flee. That was the end of him.'

Adding to the incredibility of the entire story was the fact that Cardinal Sin had met with Sister Lucia the last living visionary of Fatima, in Portugal, just before his trip to the United States and the press conference where he first told the story of the Blessed Virgin's appearance. Although living in a cloistered convent, Sister Lucia know everything about the Philippine revolution. She had no access to newspapers, magazines, or television. Yet, she related all of the details to the Cardinal

She then told him that Corazon Aquino was a gift to the Philippines from God, and that if she could maintain peace and democracy there for a period of two or more years, that nation would be influential in leading China to Christianity."