LDS president announces 12 new temples around the world
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Sean Walker, KSL.com
SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — With the close of October’s 188th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson announced a dozen new temples.
Among them is one in Washington County, which will be the 20th temple in Utah.
In addition, temples will be built in Mendoza, Argentina; Salvador, Brazil; Yuba City, California; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Praia, Cape Verde; Yigo, Guam; Puebla, Mexico; Auckland, New Zealand; Lagos, Nigeria; Davao, Phillippines; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“Building or maintaining temples may not change your life, but spending time in the temple surely will,” President Nelson said. “To those who have long been absent from the temple, I encourage you to prepare and return as soon as possible.”
The yet-to-be-named temple in Washington County will be the second in southwest corner of Utah and first since the St. George temple was dedicated in 1877. Currently, the church counts 2.1 million members among Utah’s 3.2 million people.
President Nelson also announced plans to renovate the church’s historic Salt Lake Temple, and other “pioneer-generation” temples from the church’s early history.
The new temples brings the Church’s current number of temples to 201. Of those, 11 were currently under construction and 19 were announced prior to Sunday.
Utah has 17 operating Latter-day Saint temples, the most of any state in the United States, including the most recent addition in Cedar City that was dedicated Dec. 10, 2017.
In April, President Nelson announced new temples in Bengaluru, India; Cagayan de Oro, Philippines; Managua, Nicaragua; Richmond, Virginia; Salta, Argentina; Layton; and a location in Russia that is yet to be determined.
“We know that our time in the temple is crucial to our salvation and exaltation and to that of our families,” President Nelson said.
“Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater.”
President Nelson closed the conference with several blessings for church members and a nod to its “historic” significance that includes the implementation of “home-centered” and “church-supported” worship on Sunday.
“This has been an inspirational and historic conference,” President Nelson said Sunday. “We look to the future with motivation and enthusiasm.”
This story was originally published by KSL.com. It is used here with permission.