The Rev. Luis Fernando Ruiz was elected March 17 as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ecuador Central.

Ruiz, 52, rector of the Catedral de San Pablo, Bogotá, in the Diocese of Colombia, was elected on the first ballot out of a field of three nominees. Ruiz received 102 of the 117 ballots cast among the Episcopal Church's bishops at their retreat meeting at Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina. A simple majority of the votes cast by the bishops was necessary for the election.