Pope Francis has appointed the top canon lawyer in the Harrisburg diocese to be the new bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg in western Pennsylvania.
The appointment of the Very Rev. Edward C. Malesic was announced Friday. The new bishop, who will head the four-county diocese seated 30 miles east of Pittsburgh, is 54 years old.
He's replacing Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 on March 27, 2014.
Bishops typically resign at that time, but remain in office until the pope names a successor.
Malesic is the judicial vicar in Harrisburg, meaning he heads that diocese's tribunal on church law which governs annulments and other legal issues.
He's also pastor of Holy Infant Parish in York Haven, about 20 miles southeast of Harrisburg.
