Washington D.C., Oct 24, 2004 / 22:00 pm
James Cardinal Hickey, former archbishop of Washington from 1980 to 2000, died yesterday in a local nursing home, run by the Little Sisters of the Poor; he was 84.
Diocesan spokesperson, Susan Gibb said the cardinal’s health had “slowly deteriorated over the past year."
Born Oct. 11, 1920, in Midland, Mich., he was ordained a priest in 1946 at the age of 26. He was appointed archbishop of Washington in 1980 and was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 1988. He was one of 13 Americans in the College of Cardinals.
Cardinal Hickey had a reputation for being a social activist but a conservative on Church issues. He had served immigrants in the Saginaw, Mich., and developed an interest in and special relationship with the church in Central America.