"Father Peterson's illness reminds us in a personal way of the terrible human tragedy of AIDS in our midst. His suffering challenges us to reach out with renewed conviction and compassion to those with AIDS and their families and friends." Capital punishment In early 2000, following on the Pope's calls for Catholics to oppose capital punishment, Hickey appealed to Maryland Governor Parris Glendening to commute the death sentence of Eugene Colvin-El. Labor While Archbishop of Washington, Hickey ordered all large scale building projects in the archdiocese to be union jobs. Death Hickey died at the Jeanne Jugan Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Washington, D.C., at age 84. Following a funeral mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, he was buried in St. Francis Chapel at St. Matthew's Cathedral. When asked by The Washington Post in 1989 what he would like people to say about him after his death, Hickey replied, "First, I'd like them to say that he was always loyal to his Church. Second, that he was a friend to Catholic education. And third, if they don't want to say the first two, at least I hope they would chisel on the stone, 'He served the poor.'"According to a 2020 Vatican report, Hickey failed to act on credible accusations of sexual abuse against then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and continued to offer his support and endorsement to McCarrick. References External links Hickey's obituary on the CBC's website Cardinal Hickey of Washington dies at 84 – Capital News 9 (Albany, N.Y.) Hickey's death at WTOPNews.com 1920 births 2004 deaths People from Midland, Michigan 20th-century American cardinals Sacred Heart Major Seminary alumni Catholic University of America alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Cleveland Roman Catholic archbishops of Washington American religious leaders Participants in the Second Vatican Council Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II Pontifical Lateran University alumni Pontifical North American College alumni Pontifical North American College rectors Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni 21st-century American cardinals Catholics from Michigan