Lorenz Jaeger was born in
Halle, and studied at
Paderborn University and the
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
Ordained on 1 April 1922, he then did
pastoral work in Paderborn until 1926. He taught at
Studenrat Herne in
Westphalia (1926–1933) and at
Hindenburg Realgymnasium in
Dortmund (1933–1939). During
World War II, he served as a military chaplain from 1939 to 1941. On 10 August 1941, Jaeger was appointed
Archbishop of Paderborn by
Pope Pius XII. He received his
episcopal consecration on the following 19 October from Archbishop
Cesare Orsenigo, with Bishops
Joseph Machens and
Augustus Baumann serving as
co-consecrators. In 1946 Jaeger and
Wilhelm Stählin co-founded an ecumenical study group of Catholic and Lutheran theologians called the "Jaeger-Stählin-Circle". From 1962 to 1965, Jaeger attended the
Second Vatican Council, with
Heribert Mühlen serving as his
peritus, or theological expert. The Archbishop claimed that the Church had come to the "end of the
Constantinian era," and needed to
update the presentation of its teachings as time passed.
Pope Paul VI created him
Cardinal Priest of
San Leone I in the
consistory of 22 February 1965. Jaeger later sat on the commission of cardinals instructed to examine the Dutch Catechism for theological orthodoxy. Upon reaching the age of 80 on 23 September 1972, he lost the right to participate in any future
papal conclaves, an opportunity which he never received. The Cardinal resigned as
Paderborn's archbishop on 30 June 1973, after thirty-one years of service. A dedicated
ecumenist, Jaeger founded the
Johann Adam Möhler Ecumenical Institute (named after
the German theologian) and helped establish, along with
Augustin Bea, the
Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity in the
Roman Curia. Jaeger died in Paderborn, at age 82. He is buried in the
Metropolitan Cathedral of Paderborn. ==References==