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Dallin H. Oaks, a former utah The Supreme Court judge was named on Tuesday as the new president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its more than 17 million members worldwide.
Oakes’ selection to lead what is widely known mormons The church follows the recent death of its 101-year-old predecessor, Russell M. Nelson. His ascension to heaven is not a surprise; A long-standing church policy states that the longest-tenured member of the top leadership body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles becomes the next president. The purpose of the tradition is to ensure a seamless transition and to prevent internal or public lobbying.
He said, “I accept this responsibility with humility.” God Oakes said, “I owe it to myself and I devote my whole heart and soul to the service to which I have been called.”
As President, he is considered a prophet and seer who will guide the church through God’s divine revelation along with two top counselors and members of the Quorum of the Twelve. He would set policy and oversee many of the church’s business interests.
The change in the church’s leadership comes as many of its members are shaken by a deadly attack on a Michigan congregation, and grapples with the high-profile murder of a conservative activist charlie kirk In Utah, where the sect is based.
At 93, Oakes will be one of the church’s oldest presidents. He will remain in this role till his death. Previous presidents have had varying tenures, with the longest tenure being nearly 30 years and the shortest tenure being only nine months.
experts There are suspicions that Oakes would be completely alienated from Nelson’s approach to leadership as he was one of Nelson’s closest advisors. But he says he could shift Nelson’s focus from the faith’s global footprint to domestic issues.
In a significant departure from Nelson’s presidency, Oakes announced during the faith’s recent General Conference that the church would slow down the announcement of new temples.
For his top advisors, Oakes chose 92-year-old Henry B. Eyring, who also served in that role for Nelson, and former attorney D. Todd Christofferson, 80, the church’s seventh-most senior apostle.
Paul Reeve, the Simmons Chair of Mormon Studies at the University of Utah, said Oakes’ choice demonstrates his “deliberate and methodical leadership style.” While Christopherson was a somewhat unexpected choice, Reeve said it made sense that a former Utah Supreme Court justice, known for his juridical sensibility, would choose a former lawyer.
“I admit that when I woke up this morning, this was not what I expected,” Christopherson said during Tuesday’s announcement. “But I’m deeply honored by the call and the trust placed in it.”
While serving on the lower leadership panel in the 1990s, Christopherson was involved in negotiations with Jewish leaders regarding the posthumous baptism of Holocaust victims. In 1994, after intense criticism from the Jewish community, the Church agreed to end those formal baptisms. Church leaders spoke out against the practice again in 2012 after it was discovered that they continued.
Jeffrey R. Holland, 84, the most senior apostle after Oakes – and thus next in line to become president – was not chosen as a counselor but will lead the Quorum of the Twelve. “The concern is the decline in health,” Reeve said.
Oakes is also known for his traditionalist beliefs on marriage and religious freedom. He has been a driving force against gay marriage in the church and in upholding the teaching that homosexuality is a sin – a position that causes unease among some LGBTQ+ members and their allies.
He said in 2022 that social and legal pressure would not influence the church to change its stance on matters of same-sex marriage and gender identity.
Experts say the fact that Oakes has been part of some major church moves in recent years suggests he may not make the topic a centerpiece of his administration. Oakes was Nelson’s closest adviser in 2019, when Nelson rescinded a policy that had banned baptisms for children of gay parents and labeled same-sex couples as sinners worthy of expulsion.
Christofferson, who has a gay brother, was the apostle church leaders put forward in 2015 to explain and justify that policy. His brother, Tom, was baptized into the church for the second time a year earlier after ending a long relationship with his gay partner.
Oakes has also been a strong supporter of civic public discourse. Early on as an apostle, he was involved in a crackdown on far-right extremism, resulting in some excommunication. In 2020, he had given a speech on having faith in elections without resorting to fundamentalism or violence.