Greensburg Bishop Malesic appointed leader of Cleveland diocese

Diocese of Greensburg Bishop Edward C. Malesic will serve as the next bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland.

The appointment by Pope Francis was announced Thursday.

Malesic, 59, was introduced to the Diocese of Cleveland during a 10 a.m. press conference during which he said he was humbled by being appointed bishop first in Greensburg and then in Cleveland, since “I’m a simple priest at heart.”

While looking forward to the new appointment, Malesic said it also is bittersweet.

“I’ve been very happy (in Greensburg), in fact I thought I would die there,” he said.

He said he looks forward to meeting Cleveland’s clergy and parishioners, “but give me some time to pack and make the transition from Greensburg to Cleveland, from the Steelers to the Browns. And can I at least bring one Terrible Towel?”

Asked his vision of leadership for the Cleveland Diocese, he said, “Jesus has a vision for the church, I’m just here to implement it. The vision I have is simple, to communicate the Gospel to people.”

A major challenge facing the church, he added, is to challenge negative stereotypes of the Catholic Church and a “crisis of credibility” brought on by the clergy sex abuse scandal and instead to communicate “the beauty of what the church teaches.”

The conference can be viewed on the Greensburg Diocese’s Facebook page and on the Cleveland Diocese’s website and Facebook page.

Malesic will celebrate Mass at noon at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Cleveland. The Mass will also be livestreamed online.

Malesic will be installed as Cleveland’s 12th bishop on Sept. 14 during a Mass at St. John the Evangelist, according to the Diocese of Greensburg.

Malesic will remain in Greensburg until then, Diocese of Greensburg spokesman Jerome Zufelt said. He will not be able to make major changes, such as reassigning pastors, during this time.

Bishop David Zubik of the Diocese of Pittsburgh congratulated Malesic on the appointment.

“I know Bishop Malesic to be a humble man of God who will guide Catholics closer to Jesus and help to strengthen all communities in his new assignment,” Zubik said in a statement. “For the past five years, Bishop Malesic has been an exceptional pastor to the faithful of the Diocese of Greensburg. He also has been a very good neighbor. He and I have worked together closely and often on many issues of the Church in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Bishop Malesic has shown what it means to be a servant leader in the Diocese of Greensburg, giving wise and gentle guidance in difficult times and especially in his outreach to people devastated by opioid addiction.

“I will miss my friend and co-worker in the vineyard. Many will miss him in Southwestern Pennsylvania.”

The Rev. Liddy Barlow, executive minister of Pittsburgh-based Christian Associates of Southwestern Pennsylvania, also offered congratulations.

“We will dearly miss Bishop Malesic,” she said in a statement. “He brings a pastoral heart and a prudent wisdom to his ministry. He expresses his deep love for Christ and the church by showing genuine care for all God’s people, and he has reached across ecumenical boundaries to encourage connection among diverse Christians in his diocese and beyond.

“I am certain that the Diocese of Cleveland will welcome this faithful shepherd with great joy.”

After Malesic’s installation, the Diocese of Greensburg’s College of Consultors, a priest advisory body, will meet to elect a diocesan administrator who will serve in that capacity until a new bishop is appointed, Zufelt said.

Pope Francis appointed Malesic as the fifth bishop of the Greensburg diocese in April 2015. He was ordained and installed as bishop in July 2015 at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg.

In Cleveland, Malesic replaces former Cleveland Bishop Nelson Perez, who was installed as the archbishop of Philadelphia in February.

Malesic visited Pope Francis at the Vatican in November. The purpose of the visit, required of bishops every five years, was to report on the status of the diocese.

Malesic is a native of Harrisburg who grew up in Enhaut in Dauphin County. He was first ordained to the priesthood in 1987. He had been pastor of Holy Infant Parish in York Haven for 11 years before replacing Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt in Greensburg following Brandt’s retirement.

The Greensburg Diocese serves about 138,000 Catholics in Armstrong, Fayette, Indiana and Westmoreland counties. It has 78 parishes.

The Cleveland Diocese, the 23rd largest in the United States, is home to nearly 700,000 Catholics in eight counties in northeast Ohio — Cuyahoga, Summit, Lorain, Lake, Geauga, Medina, Wayne and Ashland. It has 185 parishes.