President of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dies at 97

Published: 2008-01-30

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Funeral services were set for Feb. 2 for Gordon B. Hinckley, who had held top leadership posts in the nearly 13 million-member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1961. Hinckley, 97, died "from causes incident to age" Jan. 27 in his Salt Lake City apartment, the church announced Jan. 28. He had been president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a lifetime position, since 1995. His funeral service at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City was to be broadcast via satellite in 69 languages to church buildings around the world. The multiple languages were especially relevant to Hinckley's role in the church, because he traveled to 60 countries as president and dedicated 95 of the church's 124 temples. Catholic Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City said he mourned the loss of "such a kind and faith-filled gentleman" and said he had encountered Hinckley's "keen sense of humor and his personal humility" during meetings with him. "While faithful to his religious beliefs, he respected believers of other denominations," Bishop Wester said in a Jan. 29 statement. "The world and this community have been enriched by his life."

Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .