LDS Church Leader Expresses Concerns for Pope John Paul II at Start of World-wide Conference

SALT LAKE CITY – Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened the 175th Annual General Conference of the Church by expressing concern for the Pope and for “the many who look to him for leadership.”

He spoke of Pope John Paul II as a man of God who has not been afraid to “speak fearlessly on behalf of moral values.”

Pres. Hinckley then went on to recount his comments from 10 years earlier when he was first sustained as the prophet leader of LDS Church, according to a report at http://www.LDSNews.org.

“The time has come,” said Pres. Hinckley on April 2, 1995, “for us to stand a little taller, to lift our eyes and stretch our minds to a greater comprehension and understanding of the grand millennial mission of this The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a season to be strong. It is a time to move forward without hesitation, knowing well the meaning, the breadth, and the importance of our mission. It is a time to do what is right regardless of the consequences that might follow. It is a time to be found keeping the commandments. It is a season to reach out with kindness and love to those in distress and to those who are wandering in darkness and pain. It is a time to be considerate and good, decent and courteous toward one another in all of our relationships. In other words, to become more Christlike.

“We have nothing to fear. God is at the helm. He will overrule for the good of this work. He will shower down blessings upon those who walk in obedience to His commandments. Such has been His promise. Of His ability to keep that promise none of us can doubt,” Pres. Hinckley said.

Speaking to the more than 21,000 gathered in person in the Conference Center on Temple Square, and by Internet and satellite to more than 12 million members of the LDS Church throughout the world, Pres. Hinckley said those listening must judge how well his invitation of 10 years ago has been achieved.

He gave credit to successes of the past decade to leaders and members of the Church, and counseled them to be humble about those achievements.

Membership of the Church is now in excess of 12 million, with more than half of the members outside of North America. In the past 10 years there have been more than 3 million new members added to the rolls of the Church, said Pres. Hinckley.

Enrollment in the education system has doubled, with more than 200,000 added.

The Perpetual Education Fund was created only a few years ago with no funds at the start, but now there are over 18,000 young people who have been and are being assisted by the millions of dollars donated by LDS members. These young men and young women would not have means to obtain a better education, who live in areas outside the United States.

In 1995 there were 47 temples in use around the world. Now there are 119 with three more to be dedicated this year, said Pres. Hinckley.

Beginning with Danish in 1851, the full text of the Book of Mormon has been published in 72 languages, and selections of it in another 32. Printed copies have totaled more than 120 million, with 51 million of those distributed in the past 10 years.

The first commercial edition of the Book of Mormon by a major trade publisher was made available in bookstores in November last year by Doubleday in New York.

Recently Book Magazine declared that the Book of Mormon was one of the 20 books in history that changed America.

Pres. Hinckley spoke of the many new Church buildings, including chapels and stake centers constructed around the world at a rate of more than one per day for the past 10 years. He also mentioned the construction of the beautiful Conference Center where the gathering for the conference was taking place.

“We have reached out across the earth to assist those in need wherever they may be,” said Pres. Hinckley as he spoke of “humanitarian aid to those not of our faith.”

Pres. Hinckley has traveled more than any other previous president of the LDS Church. He has been to over 70 countries, and logged almost one million miles.

Now in his 95th year, Pres. Hinckley said he never expected to live this long and was hopeful he would be able to continue to serve for as long as the Lord would allow.

He then said “the author of the holy priesthood is here,” and he told the members that “our burden in going forward is tremendous, but our opportunity is glorious.”

Press release provided by http://ThatPRGuy.com for http://LDSNews.org.

Contact:
David M. Bresnahan
603-522-0148
http://ldsnews.org/?q=node/165