Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 31, 2023 / 11:55 am
Pope Francis this week confirmed the appointment of a priest of the Eparchy of Phoenix as the bishop of a Byzantine Catholic eparchy serving several midwestern U.S. states, the Vatican announced Thursday.
In its regular update of resignations and appointments, the Holy See Press Office said Aug. 31 that Father Robert Mark Pipta had been appointed as bishop of the Eparchy of Parma based outside of Cleveland.
The Byzantine Catholic Church — formally titled the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church — is known in canon law as an “ecclesia particularis,” or a “particular church,” one that is in full communion with the Holy See but which retains distinct liturgical rites and customs from that of the Latin Church.
An eparchy is the Byzantine Catholic equivalent of a diocese. The Parma eparchy encompasses most of Ohio as well as Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, the bishopric says on its website.