After less than two years in Fresno, Manning was named Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles and Titular Archbishop of Capreae on May 26, 1969. He succeeded James Francis McIntyre as the third Archbishop of Los Angeles on January 21, 1970. While a strong proponent of ecclesiastical authority, Manning took a more gentle style than his predecessor. The end of McIntyre's tenure saw tensions with the clergy and minorities and, following Manning's ascension, the new Archbishop stated, "My first reaction was to make it known that I was here to listen." He instituted ministries for blacks and Hispanics, a presbyterial council to grant the clergy greater participation in the governance of the Archdiocese, and an Inter-Parochial Council to extend the same participation to the laity. Shortly after becoming Archbishop, a majority of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who had feuded with McIntyre, left the religious life and founded a lay community. He also supported the 1973 merger of the all-male Loyola University and all-female Marymount College into Loyola Marymount University in 1973; McIntyre had resisted attempts to allow co-education in the Archdiocese's Catholic university and colleges.