Wilhelmus de Bekker

Wilhelmus Adrianus Josephus Maria de Bekker (27 April 1939 – 3 June 2026) was a Dutch-born Surinamese Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Paramaribo in Suriname from 2004 until his retirement in 2014.

Biography Wilhelmus de Bekker was born on 27 April 1939 in Helmond, the Netherlands. He pursued his higher education at the Catholic University of Nijmegen, where he obtained a licentiate degree in cultural and social anthropology. Later he worked for years for the Roman Catholic Special Education as a consultant inspector and as director of the Father Ahlbrink Foundation. Following the completion of his studies, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Paramaribo on 25 May 1985 by Bishop Aloysius Ferdinandus Zichem.

On 31 May 2014, having reached the age limit prescribed by canon law, Pope Francis accepted De Bekker's resignation. He was succeeded by Karel Choennie in 2015, remaining in Suriname as bishop emeritus.