Christopher Ponnet was an American Roman Catholic priest, hospital chaplain, and social justice activist. He served in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles at the St. Camillus Center for Spiritual Care and as director of spiritual care at LAC+USC Medical Center. Ponnet also held roles in ministries serving people with HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ Catholics, and with different organizations and events including Pax Christi, Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, Los Angeles Catholic Worker, and Death Penalty Focus.
Ponnet was born on January 14, 1957 in Monterey Park, California, and was raised in Temple City. After studying at St. John's Seminary (California), he was ordained a priest in 1983 in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Ponnet died during heart surgery on October 7, 2025, at the age of 68, in Arcadia, California.
