1931: Ordained Catholic priest in April, then nominated professor and director at the theological seminary in Strasbourg
1938: Military chaplain in Strasbourg
1941: Nominated Senior of the theological seminary of Strasbourg; withdrawn back to Clermont-Ferrand during World War II
1945: Nominated Diocesan director of the catholic pedagogy of Strasbourg
1947: Nominated Canon of the Strasbourg Cathedral
1958: Nominated ancillary Bishop and coadjutor Mgr Weber
1962–1965: Participated in the Second Vatican Council; made a notable intercession on behalf of the rehabilitation of Galileo Galilei
1967: Nominated Bishop of Strasbourg
1984: Resigned as Bishop of Strasbourg, being replaced by Msgr. Charles-Amarin Brand
1984–1998: Very active during his retirement, he wrote several books and appeared often in the news media. He died two days before his 90th birthday.
Controversy
In April 1981, Elchinger remarked at a press conference, "I consider homosexuality a sickness." This prompted the concentration camp deportee, Pierre Seel, to write an open letter to the Bishop on 18 November, and to speak publicly for the first time about his experiences and wartime abuses he had faced as a homosexual.
