Jean Jérôme Hamer, O.P., S.T.D. (1 June 1916 – 2 December 1996) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

Cardinal who was Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life from 1985 until 1992.

Biography

He was born in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and joined the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...

in 1934 taking the name of Jérôme. He received his religious training at La Sarte, a Dominican Study house near

Huy Huy ( or ; nl, Hoei, ; wa, Hu) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the ''sillon industriel'', the former industrial ...

(

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

), and Louvain University. He did his

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...

and, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, spent 3 months of 1940 as a prisoner. He was ordained on 3 August 1941. He continued his studies at the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisi ...

, Switzerland, where he earned his doctorate in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. He was on the teaching staff of the ''Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Pontificium Athenaeum Internationale Angelicum'' for the academic year of 1952–53. He had been a staff member at the University of Fribourg since 1944, where he then returned and taught until 1962.

Episcopate

He was appointed secretary of the party in 1958 Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity on 12 April 1969. Then, on 14 June 1973, he was appointed titular archbishop of Lorium and secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He was consecrated on 29 June 1973 by Pope Paul VI. In 1974, the Congregation published a "declaration on procured abortion", re-asserting the Church's opposition to the controversial procedure since the publication of Humanae Vitae. He later helped in writing the document ''Persona humana'' on the topic of sexual ethics. He remained at this position until Pope John Paul II appointed him Promagistrate, Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in 1984. At that time the title of Prefect was reserved for someone who was already a Cardinal.

Cardinalate

He became Prefect of the Congregation when he was made Cardinal-Deacon of ''San Saba, Rome, San Saba'' in the Papal consistory, consistory of 25 May 1985, two days after which the full title was formally granted him. He resigned as the head of the Congregation on 21 January 1992. He opted for the order of Cardinal Priests after ten years and his deaconry was elevated ''pro hac vice'' to title on 29 January 1996. He lost the right to participate in a Papal conclave, conclave when he turned 80 in 1996. He died on 2 December 1996 in Rome.

Notes and references

Bibliography

*''The Church Is A Communion.'' New York: Sheed and Ward, 1964. *''Karl Barth.'' Westminster, Md.: Newman Press, 1962. *''Karl Barth : l'occasionalisme théologique de Karl Barth : étude sur sa méthode dogmatique.'' Paris: Desclée de Brouwer, 1949. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamer, Jean 1916 births 1996 deaths Burials at Campo Verano Jurists from Brussels Belgian Dominicans Belgian cardinals Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni University of Fribourg alumni Members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Members of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II Academic staff of the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas Dominican cardinals