Conjecture may now cease.
Click to View the Broadcast and News Conference. If the video indicates it is 2:41:57 long, you’ll want to drag the slider to about 0:53:00 to skip to the beginning of the Broadcast. Similarly, you’ll then want to drag the slider to about 1:53:00 to skip to the beginning of the News Conference.
The Quorum of the Apostles met and unanimously agreed to reorganize the First Presidency. President Russell M. Nelson was selected to be the President of the Church and was set apart on January 14.
President Nelson’s counselors are Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Henry B. Eyring. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf has returned to his place in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and has reportedly already been loaded up with awesome assignments for which he is uniquely qualified.
During the News Conference, the first question out of the block was how the new presidency will come down on LGBT issues. The response reflected the Presidency’s intent to support God’s commandments.
Peggy Fletcher Stack asked about the presidency’s composition (now all white men from America) and specifically indicated an interest in how women would be represented. The answer discussed how it is not possible to reflect all nations and attributes in a group, added to the fact that it is the leadership in all the world that really matters. Critics will likely hone in on the focus on the discussion of women as mothers, while neglecting to point out that the first row of leaders listening to the press conference was filled with women.
Another question asked about the challenges Millennials are having with Church history. The members of the Presidency talked about how all but Christ have made mistakes, and emphasizing the transparency associated with the Joseph Smith Papers Project. They also said that the Millennials they associate with are doing great, while emphasizing that when these young folk marry, they will be uniquely strengthened. “For neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord.”
A question came in from overseas asking about the calamities in different nations. The Presidency expressed their concern about the difficulties that have hit, talking about certain difficulties that are ongoing at this moment.
There’s a famous scene in the movie, The Incredibles, where a young boy is asked what he’s waiting for. The boy says:
“I don’t know. Something amazing, I guess.”
Some of us were wondering if we would see something that would surprise us, and in that sense, there was nothing amazing. But I loved that there was a pre-News Conference Broadcast for members, and I loved that we are reminded of the stability of an orderly progression. In hindsight, I am amazed that we have had the privilege of several years of care from Elder Uchtdorf long before we might have expected to see him in such a senior position. This gave us the chance to see the maturation of an apostle from relatively new to seasoned. And I am jealous of those who will get to more directly benefit from his unique gifts for the next several years.
The Quorum of the Apostles and the First Presidency did not delay announcement of today’s news by attempting to conflate today’s announcement with the calling of the two apostles needed to fill out the Quorum of Apostles. Easter weekend will be General Conference, and we can anticipate that new apostles will be announced at that time.
If you missed this morning’s announcement about the newly organized First Presidency, you can watch the video below. The First Presidency announcement starts at the 52 minute mark and the press conference, which began at 10am this morning starts at the 1:51 (one hour, fifty-one) minute mark.
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