Marián Chovanec (born 16 September 1957) is a Slovak Roman Catholic prelate. Since 2012 he serves as the bishop of the Diocese of Banská Bystrica.

Biography

Marián Chovanec was born on 16 September 1957 in

Trenčín Trenčín (, also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a List of towns in Slovakia, city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech Republic, Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a populati ...

. He studied theology at the

Comenius University Comenius University Bratislava () is the largest university in Slovakia, with most of its faculties located in Bratislava. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of Czechoslovakia. It is named after Jan Amos Comenius, a 17th-century ...

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

. In 1981 his studies were suspended by the communist regime as a punishment for Chovanec's participation in a hunger strike against the pro-regime priestly organization Pacem in Terris. He was allowed to return to his studies in 1986. In 1990 he continued his studies at the

John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (, , abbreviation KUL) is a university established in 1918. History :pl:Idzi Radziszewski, Father Idzi Benedykt Radziszewski founded the university in 1918. Vladimir Lenin, Lenin allowed the priest ...

, where he earned a doctorate in

dogmatic theology Dogmatic theology, also called dogmatics, is the part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and God's works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Chu ...

in 1994. Chovanec was ordained as a priest on 17 June 1989. Afterwards he served as a priest and archivist of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Nitra The Diocese of Nitra (; ; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in western Slovakia, with its seat in Nitra. , the bishop is Viliam Judák. History The diocese was created as the first one on the territory of present-day Slovakia ...

. On 22 July 1999 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Nitra and titular bishop of Maxita by the

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. He was consecrated on 18 September 1999 at the St. Emmeram's Cathedral in Nitra by the bishop of Nitra, Cardinal

Ján Chryzostom Korec Ján Chryzostom Korec, SJ (22 January 1924 – 24 October 2015) was a Slovak Jesuit priest and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was ordained as a priest in 1950 and consecrated as a bishop in 1951. Because of the government's suppressio ...

. On 20 November 2012,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

appointed Chovanec the bishop of Banská Bystrica to replace bishop

Rudolf Baláž Rudolf Baláž (20 November 1940 in Nevoľné – 27 July 2011 in Banská Bystrica) was a Slovakia, Slovak Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Banská Bystrica from 1990 until his death in 2011. Baláž was ordained as a Catholic priest on 23 ...

, who had suddenly died a year prior.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chovanec, Marian 1957 births Living people People from Trenčín 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Slovakia 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Slovakia Comenius University alumni Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Bishops appointed by Pope Benedict XVI