| Type: | Bishop |
| Karel Choennie | |
| Church: | Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral |
| Archdiocese: | Port of Spain |
| Diocese: | Paramaribo |
| Appointed: | 11 November 2015 |
| Ordination: | 3 August 1985 |
| Consecration: | 24 January 2016 |
| Consecrated By: | Wilhelmus de Bekker |
| Birth Name: | Karel Martinus Choennie |
| Birth Date: | 20 December 1958 |
| Birth Place: | Surinam |
| Nationality: | Suriname |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
| Coat Of Arms: | Coat of arms of Karel Choennie.svg |
| Motto: | Diliges dominum et proximum |
| Honorific-Prefix: | The Most Reverend Lord |
Karel Martinus Choennie (born 20 December 1958) is a Surinamese Roman Catholic bishop. As of 2016, he is the current Bishop of Paramaribo. He is the first bishop in Suriname of Indian descent.[1]
Choennie was born on 20 December 1958. In 1976, he left for the Netherlands to study pedagogy at Radboud University Nijmegen, and obtained his bachelor's degree in 1978.[2] Next, he went to the monastery of Mount Saint Benedict in Trinidad and Tobago,[3] and graduated in theology at the University of the West Indies in 1984. On 3 August 1985, he was ordained priest.[2] [4] In 1996, he studied pastoral theology at KU Leuven, and graduated in 1998.[2]
On 11 November 2015, Choennie was appointed Bishop of Paramaribo,[5] and consecrated on 24 January 2016 by .[6]
During the military dictatorship, Choennie was a vocal critic of the human rights violations which had occurred. When he criticized the amnesty for December Murders, he was labelled enemy of the people by President Desi Bouterse.[3]
In 2019, Choennie was one of the bishops who voted for the inclusion of married and female priests during the Amazon synod.[7] [8] Pope Francis later rejected the conclusions of the synod.[9]
Choennie has expressed his concerns about climate change, and called for a radical change in the production and consumption culture.[10]