Tuesday morning, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormon church, officially announced that 93-year-old Russell M. Nelson is the new church president.
This comes just a few days after the death of Thomas M. Monson, the previous church president.
“Four days ago we laid to rest a giant of a man, a prophet of God, President Thomas S. Monson. No words can do justice to the magnitude and magnificence of his life," Nelson said at his address Tuesday morning. "Two days, as Brother Christofferson has said, all of the living apostles met in the upper room of the Salt Lake temple. There, they made a unanimous decision that I serve as president of the church. Words are inadequate to tell you what it felt like to have my brethren place their hands upon my head to ordain and set me apart as president of the church. It was a sacred and humbling experience.”
Joining us now to talk about the church leadership and what this transition means is Konden Smith.
He’s a professor of religious studies at the University of Arizona.
