SALT LAKE CITY—Thomas S. Monson, considered a prophet by nearly 16 million Mormons worldwide, has died at the age of 90 after a nearly a decade as church president. He expanded the church‘s reach and its transparency and was known for promoting humanitarian causes, despite leading a divisive fight against gay marriage.
Monson died on January 2 at his home in Salt Lake City, according to church spokesman Eric Hawkins.
Funeral services for Monson was held on January 12 inside the religion’s conference center, which has a 21,000-seat theater, in Salt Lake City.
The man set to become the next Mormon church president is a 93-year-old former heart surgeon, whose conservative track record on the religion’s leadership panel has led Mormon scholars to predict he won’t make any major changes.
Russell M. Nelson is likely to be formally named to the post in the coming days under long-standing church protocol designed to ensure a smooth handover by giving the post to the longest-tenured member of the governing Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Nelson has been on the panel for three decades.
Monson spent more than five decades serving in top church leadership councils—making him a well-known face and personality to multiple generations of Mormons.
A church bishop at the age of 22, the Salt Lake City native became the youngest church apostle in a half century, when he was named to the post in 1963 at the age of 36. He served as a counselor for three church presidents before assuming the role of the top leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008.
As president of the nearly 16 million-member religion, Monson was considered a prophet who led the church through revelation from God in collaboration with two top counselors and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Monson’s presidency was marked by his noticeably low profile during a time of intense publicity for the church, including the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns of Mormon Mitt Romney. Monson’s most public acts were appearances at church conferences and devotionals, as well as dedications of church temples.
Monson will also be remembered for his emphasis on humanitarian work; leading the faith’s involvement in the passage of gay-marriage ban in California in 2008; continuing the church’s push to be more transparent about its past; and lowering the minimum age for missionaries.
Mormons considered Monson a warm, caring, endearing and approachable leader, said Patrick Mason, associate professor of religion at Claremont Graduate University in California. He was known for dropping everything to make hospital visits to people in need. His speeches at the faith’s twice-yearly conferences often focused on parables of human struggles resolved through faith.
He put an emphasis on the humanitarian ethic of Mormons, evidenced by his expansion of the church’s disaster-relief programs around the world, said Armand Mauss, a retired professor of sociology and religious studies at Washington State University.
“President Monson always seemed more interested in what we do with our religion rather than in what we believe,” Mauss said.
President Donald J. Trump, religious leaders and well-known Mormons mourned Monson’s death last Wednesday and remembered his life of service.
Trump said in a statement that Monson “demonstrated wisdom, inspired leadership and great compassion” and delivered a message of “optimism, forgiveness and faith.”
Romney, entertainer Marie Osmond and conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck were among those tweeting memories and condolences. Romney said in a statement that he’ll remember Monson’s compassion for the downtrodden. Osmond tweeted a picture of her embracing Monson, saying he was always there for her family. Beck recalled Monson’s kindness and humility.
Condolences also came in from Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who said of Monson, “Service was his motto and humility was his hallmark.”
The Mormon church was founded in 1830 in upstate New York by Joseph Smith, who claimed he was visited by God and Jesus while praying in a grove of trees and was called to found the church. Members are known as Mormons because of the faith’s keystone scripture, the Book of Mormon.
A World War II veteran, Monson served in the Navy and spent a year overseas before returning to get a business degree at the University of Utah and a master’s degree in business administration from the church-owned Brigham Young University.
Monson married Frances Beverly Johnson in 1948. The couple had three children, eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Frances died in 2013 at the age of 85.
Image credits: AP/Rick Bowmer