Marián Chovanec

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.

His Excellency Marián Chovanec
Bishop of Banská Bystrica
Church	Roman Catholic
Appointed	20 November 2012
Predecessor	Rudolf Baláž
Previous post	Auxiliary Bishop of Nitra (1999–2012)
Orders
Ordination	17 June 1989
Consecration	18 September 1999 by Ján Chryzostom Korec
Personal details
Born	(1957-09-16) 16 September 1957 (age 68) Trenčín, Czechoslovakia
Alma mater	John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin Comenius University
Motto	Omnia impendam pro animabus vestris! (Latin for 'I will give up everything for your souls')
Coat of arms

Styles of Marián Chovanec
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Biography

Marián Chovanec was born on 16 September 1957 in Trenčín. He studied theology at the Comenius University in Bratislava. 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, where he earned a doctorate in dogmatic theology in 1994.^[1]

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. On 22 July 1999 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Nitra and titular bishop of Maxita by the Pope John Paul II. He was consecrated on 18 September 1999 at the St. Emmeram's Cathedral in Nitra by the bishop of Nitra, Cardinal Ján Chryzostom Korec.^[2]

On 20 November 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Chovanec the bishop of Banská Bystrica to replace bishop Rudolf Baláž, who had suddenly died a year prior.^[3]