Fifteen new temples were announced Sunday on the last day of the 195th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Following recent tradition, church President Russell M. Nelson, the most prolific temple builder in the faith’s history, did the honors in closing remarks via a videotaped message at the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City.
After viewing Sunday morning’s meeting and all three of Saturday’s sessions from home, the 100-year-old Nelson attended the final, afternoon session in person.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Russell M. Nelson greets wife Wendy at the conclusion of General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Nelson’s first counselor, 92-year-old President Dallin H. Oaks, next in line to lead the global church, delivered his conference address Sunday morning to the faith’s 17.5 million members. His second counselor, 91-year-old Henry B. Eyring, conducted Sunday’s first session from his chair on the rostrum. Apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a former member of the governing First Presidency, conducted the final session and noted Nelson’s presence.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Dallin Oaks waves to the audience as he leaves the stand after the morning session of General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) President Henry B. Eyring conducts the morning session of General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025. The seat reserved for church President Russell Nelson, at his right, sits vacant. Nelson viewed the meeting from his home.
Here are the latest speeches and announcements from the final two sessions:
Sunday afternoon
President Russell Nelson: Charity is the ‘foundation of a godly character’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) In a recorded message, President Russell M. Nelson speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
President Russell M. Nelson cheered his church’s “great momentum,” told members to be peacemakers and urged all to get ready for Jesus’ Second Coming.
“I am filled with joy as I see progress in so many areas,” the 100-year-old religious leader said in a taped message. “I am especially inspired by our youth. …The rising generation is rising up as stalwart followers of Jesus Christ.”
Nelson promised the faithful that when they “make and keep covenants with God,” they will have confidence.
God “understands our needs better than we do,” Nelson said. “He sends angels to be with us and with those we love…. He yearns to help each of us reach our highest potential.”
He reiterated his call of two years ago for members to be peacemakers.
“True charity toward all men is the hallmark of peacemakers,” he said. “It is imperative that we have charity in our discourse, both public and private. I thank those of you who took my previous counsel to heart. But we can still do better. The present hostility in public dialogue and on social media is alarming. Hateful words are deadly weapons.”
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Russell M. Nelson, with wife Wendy, waves to attendees at the conclusion of General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Sunday, April 6, 2025.
When charity becomes second nature, believers will “lose the impulse to demean others,” Nelson said. “We will stop judging others. We will have charity for those from all walks of life. Charity toward all men is essential to our progress. Charity is the foundation of a godly character.”
He also encouraged listeners to “garnish” their thoughts “unceasingly with virtue.”
The “great opportunity before us,” Nelson said, “is to become the people God needs us to be.”
After announcing the 15 new temple sites, Nelson said that “regular worship in the House of the Lord increases our capacity for both charity and virtue.”
And that, in turn, helps believers “prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ,” he said. “We do not know the day or the hour of his coming. But I do know that the Lord is prompting me to urge us to get ready for that ‘great and dreadful day.‘”
In his recorded message, Nelson announced the new temples would be built in the following locations:
• Reynosa, Mexico.
• Chorrillos, Peru.
• Rivera, Uruguay.
• Campo Grande, Brazil.
• Porto, Portugal.
• Uyo, Nigeria.
• San Jose del Monte, Philippines.
• Nouméa, New Caledonia.
• Liverpool, Australia.
• Caldwell, Idaho.
• Flagstaff, Arizona.
• Rapid City, South Dakota.
• Greenville, South Carolina.
• Norfolk, Virginia.
• Spanish Fork, Utah.
The Spanish Fork edifice will the Beehive State’s 32nd existing or planned Latter-day Saint temple.
Seventy Benjamin Tai offers blueprint for feeling God’s love
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Benjamin M. Z. Tai speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
God’s love is as sure as the stars in the sky, although pollution and clouds might sometimes obscure the view.
This was the message general authority Seventy Benjamin M. Z. Tai of Hong Kong left with his listeners, as well as a simple guide for accessing that love.
• “Pause frequently to remember that you are a child of God” and focus on gratitude.
• “Pray daily” to know who else needs to feel his love.
• “Ask sincerely” how to help that individual to feel that love.
• “Act promptly” on whatever inspiration might follow.
He concluded: “May we be a lighthouse that guides others to his love.”
Apostle Patrick Kearon: ‘Our bounteous giver’ and his ‘all-encompassing gift’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Patrick Kearon speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
All good gifts flow from God (“our bounteous giver”) but there is one “all-encompassing gift of eternal truth that underpins our ability to receive all else,” apostle Patrick Kearon said, “… it is that we really are God’s children.”
That truth “is breathtaking. Stunning,” Kearon said. “And it is not figurative.”
If this “priceless gift of understanding and all the goodness, peace and hope that flow from it are left unaccepted, unopened and unreceived, what a terrible loss for us,” the British apostle said. “What a sadness for the giver.”
Kearon encouraged Latter-day Saints to “undo the bow, tear off the wrapping paper, open the box, and actively receive, with grateful humility, a true, pure understanding of this foundational truth.”
When members “welcome this majestic reality” into their souls, Kearon promised that they would experience a paradigm shift.
“You can feel his love, hear his voice and recognize his hand no matter what is happening, or not happening, in your life,” he said. “Your covenant bond with your Savior becomes even stronger, and through the lens of this sweet gift, life takes on new brilliance, beauty and hope.”
Seventy Christopher Kim: The danger of a hard heart
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Christopher H. Kim speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
In Korean, having a “hardness of heart” is translated as being “stubborn” or “wicked,” said general authority Seventy Christopher H. Kim, who was born in South Korea. “When we harden our hearts, we are blinded, and good things cannot come into our hearts or our minds. We become stubborn and begin to place more focus on worldly desires, closing our hearts to the things of God. We choose to focus solely on our own thoughts while not accepting the opinions and guidance of others.”
Such people “choose to not open [their] hearts to the things of God but instead to the influence of the things of the world and the adversary,” Kim said. “When our hearts are hardened, we resist the influence of the Holy Ghost.”
He added: “If we sincerely repent, humble ourselves and trust and rely on the Lord, our hearts will be softened. He will then pour out his spirit and show us the mysteries of heaven. We will believe all the words that he has taught, and our understanding will deepen.”
Seventy Scott Whiting: Beware of the ‘second temptation’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Scott D. Whiting speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
In the Garden of Eden, Lucifer successfully tempted Adam and Eve not once but twice — first, into eating the forbidden fruit and second into hiding from God after they did so.
Similarly, general authority Seventy Scott D. Whiting said, “some might attempt to hide from God because they don’t want to be discovered or exposed, and they feel shame or guilt.”
To this, Whiting gave the following advice: Don’t.
“If you incur a physical injury,” he said, “your condition will deteriorate and may become life-threatening if you don’t seek proper medical attention.”
The same is true for spiritual wounds, Whiting taught.
“God knows your sins; you cannot hide from him,” he stressed. “Reconcile yourself before him.”
Seventy Michael Strong: Imitating Christ’s compassion
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Michael B. Strong speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
The real “destination of discipleship,” said general authority Seventy Michael B. Strong, “is literally to become as Jesus Christ is.”
Of all the Savior’s “divine attributes,” Strong said, none is mentioned more often than his charity.
“Charity is a rich concept that can be difficult to define but is easily perceived by all who are touched by it,” he said. “Indeed, charity may be described as ’love in action.‘”
Such discipleship “is the only way to obtain enduring happiness,” Strong said. “It is a path filled with deliberate and purposeful acts of love toward others.”
Apostle Ulisses Soares warns against using AI ‘inappropriately’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Ulisses Soares speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
As artificial intelligence and other technological powers grow, Brazilian apostle Ulisses Soares said, so does the need to practice caution in its use.
“As followers of Christ, we need to be careful not to weaken our connection with God and his son by using AI-generated content and images inappropriately,” he warned. “We should remember that relying on a modern technological ‘arm of flesh’ is an inadequate and disrespectful substitute for the inspiration, edification and witness that can only be received through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Instead, individuals should regularly carve out pockets of contemplation and prayer that are free from the distractions of technology — something Soares did after he and his wife lost a child who was born prematurely.
“What seemed like an insurmountable, sorrowful challenge at the time turned into a sacred, reverent experience,” he said, “a capstone that has helped sustain our faith and has given us confidence in the covenants we have made with the Lord and in his promises for me and my family.”
Sunday morning
President Dallin Oaks: Divine aids for mortality
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) President Dallin H. Oaks speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
God considered the most important requirement for mortality to be the ability to “choose between good and evil,” President Dallin H. Oaks of the governing First Presidency said in concluding Sunday morning’s session. “Those who choose good would progress toward their eternal destiny. Those who chose evil — as all would do in the various temptations of mortality — would need saving help, which a loving God designed to provide.”
The first “help” is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Oaks said, “who would suffer to pay the price and provide forgiveness for repented sins.”
Other divine guidance for humanity, he said, include the “light of Christ,” scriptural directions (commandments, ordinances and covenant), and “manifestations of the Holy Ghost.”
With so many “powerful helps to guide us in our mortal journeys,” Oaks said, “it is disappointing that so many remain unprepared for their appointed meeting with our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.”
The antidote, the Latter-day Saint leader said, is to trust in the Lord and to value “the teachings of his prophets against the latest findings and wisdom of man.”
Seventy John McCune: Covenants unlock resilient joy
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy John A. McCune speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Happiness is possible regardless of life’s circumstances for those who have entered into a “covenantal relationship” with God, taught general authority Seventy John A. McCune.
“As we bind ourselves to act as covenant disciples, in whatever our level of capacity, our relationship with the Father and the Son is enriched, our joy is enhanced and our eternal perspective expanded,” McCune explained. “We then are endowed with power and can feel joy in a measure reserved for God’s true covenant disciples.”
To this hopeful message, he paired a warning.
“Our ability to sense a full measure of God’s love,” McCune added, “or to continue in his love, is contingent upon our righteous desires and actions.”
Apostle Gerrit Gong: Jesus ‘wipes away our tears’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Gerrit W. Gong speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Jesus Christ “answers the longings of our hearts and the questions of our souls. He wipes away our tears,” said apostle Gerrit W. Gong, “except our tears of joy.”
Like other conference speakers, the first Asian American Latter-day Saint apostle condemned perfectionism.
Easter “lets us feel God’s approbation,” Gong said. “This world tells us we are too tall, too short, too wide, too narrow, not smart, pretty, or spiritual enough. Through spiritual transformation in Jesus Christ, we can escape debilitating perfectionism.”
Christ’s resurrection “frees us from death, from time’s frailties and physicality’s imperfections,” he said. “Jesus Christ’s Atonement also restores us spiritually. He bled from every pore, weeping blood, as it were, to provide us escape from sin and separation. He reunites us, whole and holy, with each other and God. In all good things, Jesus Christ restores abundantly — not only what was but also what can be.”
The Easter season “testifies spiritual sequence and convergence are both part of the divine pattern of Atonement, resurrection and restoration through Jesus Christ,” Gong said. “This sacred and symbolic convergence comes not by accident or coincidence. Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter celebrate Christ’s Atonement and resurrection. As today, every April 6th we commemorate the establishment and organization of [the church.] This restoration is a reason we gather the first Sunday each April in General Conference.”
He invited members to “find in Jesus Christ Atonement, resurrection and restoration — peace, becoming and belonging — that which is enduringly real and joyful, happy and forever.”
Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé: ‘God loves each of us perfectly’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé, the ecclesiastical leader who oversees the faith’s vast real estate, financial, investment and charitable operations, stressed that God knows our efforts often fall short of the ideal — and that’s OK.
“God,” the Frenchman said, “loves each of us perfectly,” which means “he will not hold us accountable for things beyond our control.”
Through the Atonement, Caussé taught, all can access strength beyond their own to “ultimately overcome all of life’s challenges.”
Nonetheless, all will be lacking. When that happens, he said, “the Lord may still accept the desires of our hearts as a worthy offering.”
Young Women first counselor Tamara Runia: Heaven isn’t for ‘perfect’ people
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Tamara W. Runia, first counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Heaven isn’t for people “who’ve been perfect,” said Tamara W. Runia, first counselor in the global Young Women organization. “It’s for people who’ve been forgiven, who choose Christ again and again.”
Runia acknowledged that she once “measured her relationship with the Savior by how perfectly I was living,” she said. “I thought an obedient life meant I would never need to repent. And when I made mistakes, which was every single day, I distanced myself from God, thinking, ‘He must be so disappointed in me.’ That’s just not true. I’ve learned that if you wait until you’re clean enough or perfect enough to go to the Savior, you’ve missed the whole point.”
Repentance doesn’t “burden Jesus Christ; it brightens his joy,” Runia said. “Let’s teach that because repentance is our best news. We don’t stay on the covenant path by never making a mistake. We stay on the path by repenting every day. And when we’re repenting, God forgives without shaming us, comparing us to anyone else, or scolding us because this is the same thing we were repenting of last week.”
She assured her listeners that their “worth isn’t tied to obedience. Your worth is constant; it never changes. It was given to you by God, and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do to change it.”
Seventy Steven Shumway on the redemptive power of service
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General authority Seventy Steven D. Shumway speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
God calls individuals to his work not because he “needs us, but because we need God and his blessings,” general authority Seventy Steven D. Shumway taught.
Accepting new responsibilities at church can be daunting, he acknowledged, citing his own feelings of inadequacy when he became a general authority.
The good news: God does not expect a flawless performance. After all, during the creation period, he never declared his own work “finished or perfect.”
“But each day there was progress,” Shumway observed, “and in God’s eyes, that is good!”
Apostle David Bednar: Celebrating the ‘momentous’ and ‘joyous’ founding of the church
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle David A. Bednar speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Sunday marked the 195th anniversary of the April 6, 1830, establishment of the church, an occasion that apostle David A. Bednar called “momentous” and “joyous.”
At that first gathering, Bednar said, “a great outpouring of the spirit blessed all in attendance as the ordinance of the sacrament [or Communion] was administered, the gift of the Holy Ghost was conferred, priesthood ordinations were performed, and truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ were preached.”
The apostle then recounted all that predated and followed that meeting, including founder Joseph Smith’s “First Vision,” his translation of the faith’s unique scripture, the Book of Mormon, and the restoration of the priesthood at the hands of angels.
“I have attempted to summarize basic elements of the most important and glorious ‘good news’ any person anywhere in the world can ever receive,” Bednar said, “the message that the Lord Jesus Christ has restored his gospel and church in the latter days.”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The congregation prepares for the start of the morning session of General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
