The Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, which includes two Erie County churches, has a new leader.
The Most Rev. William Skurla was named metropolitan archbishop of the archeparchy by Pope Benedict XVI on Jan. 19.
Skurla will be enthroned April 18, according to a news release.
He succeeds Metropolitan Archbishop Basil Schott, who died in June 2010.
Skurla, 55, a native of Duluth, Minn., was ordained to the priesthood in 1987 at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Freeland.
The archeparchy has 58,000 parishioners and 78 parishes in seven states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas.
The parishes include SS. Peter & Paul Byzantine Catholic Church in Erie and SS. Cyril & Methodius Byzantine Catholic Church in Girard.
Their pastor, the Rev. Robert Karl, didn't want to comment on the appointment of the new archbishop.
The archeparchy and the eparchies of Passaic, Parma and Phoenix make up the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, which is directly under the authority of the pope, according to the news release.
Skurla served in Tucson, Ariz., before becoming bishop of what is now the Eparchy of Phoenix in Arizona in 2002.
He was appointed bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic in New Jersey in 2008.