Jean Jérôme Hamer

infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Jean Jérôme Cardinal Hamer
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See=Lorium (titular see)|

Jean Jérôme Cardinal Hamer OP S.T.D. (1 June 1916 - 2 December 1996) was a Belgian Cardinal who was Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life from 1985 until 1992. He was born in Brussels and joined the Dominican order in 1934 taking the name of Jérôme. He was educated at La Sarte and Louvain University he did his military service and during the war spent 3 months of 1940 in prison. He was ordained on 3 August 1941. He continued his studies at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland where he earned his doctorate in theology. He was on the teaching staff of the Pontifical Angelicum Athenaeum for the academic year of 1952. He had been a staff member at the University of Fribourg sice 1944 and he returned to there where he taught until 1962.

Episcopate

He was appointed as secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in 1969 and appointed titular archbishop of "Lorium". He spent until 1973 at the council when he was appointed secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 14 June 1973. He was consecrated on 29 June 1973 by Pope Paul VI. He remained at this position until Pope John Paul II appointed him Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in 1984. He was only appointed Pro-Prefect of the Congregation as he was not yet a Cardinal. If the Pope decided to raise him to the cardinalate he would have become full Prefect.

Cardinalate

This was duly done when he was created and proclaimed Cardinal Deacon of "S. Saba" in the consistory of 25 May 1985. He was named full Prefect two days later. 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 conclave when he turned 80 in 1996. He died on 2 December 1996 in Rome.