“First Presidency Offers Condolences on Passing of His Holiness Pope Francis”
As the First Presidency has already done, I offer my condolences on the death of Pope Francis to any Catholic readers who may perhaps wander through here. The Pope’s passing comes as a surprise to many, including me, because he seemed to be recovering reasonably well from a lengthy and serious hospitalization a few weeks ago. Just yesterday, he both appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to deliver his Easter blessing to the crowd assembled in the piazza below and, just prior to that appearance, gave an audience to U..S. Vice President J. D. Vance. (I decline to speculate on any causal relationship that the latter may have had with the Pope’s death only a few hours afterward.)
The passing of a pope is an epochal event. On a personal note, papal succession was much in the news during the couple of months of my marriage, and I paid fairly close attention to what was going on. (I’ve always found the Vatican fascinating, and St. Peter’s is probably my favorite place to visit in Rome — Rome itself being one of my favorite places altogether.) Pope St. Paul VI died shortly after my wife and I were married. Pope John Paul I was elected a few weeks later, and then suddenly died after a papacy of only thirty-three days. Shortly thereafter, the lengthy and vastly consequential pontificate of Pope St. John Paul II began. I admired him enormously and, in January 2001, had the privilege of attending a relatively small meeting over which he presided. (On this, see “When the Pope left the Vatican for a meeting of healing: When Pope John Paul II hosted a number of bishops from the ancient non-Catholic churches of the East, the location of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls was significant.”)
Happy Easter to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, the Mentally Insane, and well known MS-13 Gang Members and Wife Beaters, back into our Country. Happy Easter also to the WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Judges and Law Enforcement Officials who are allowing this sinister attack on our Nation to continue, an attack so violent that it will never be forgotten! Sleepy Joe Biden purposefully allowed Millions of CRIMINALS to enter our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked, through an Open Borders Policy that will go down in history as the single most calamitous act ever perpetrated upon America. He was, by far, our WORST and most Incompetent President, a man who had absolutely no idea what he was doing — But to him, and to the person that ran and manipulated the Auto Pen (perhaps our REAL President!), and to all of the people who CHEATED in the 2020 Presidential Election in order to get this highly destructive Moron Elected, I wish you, with great love, sincerity, and affection, a very Happy Easter!!!From Donald Trump Truth Social 04/20/25 08:46 AM
New, on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: Interpreter Radio Show —April 6, 2025, including Doctrine and Covenants in Context: “The Promises … Shall Be Fulfilled” covering D&C 45
The 13 April 2025 episode of the Interpreter Radio Show featured Terry Hutchinson, Mark Johnson, and Kevin Christensen, along with special guest Ignacio Garcia during the second hour. They discussed the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for 5-11 May covering Doctrine and Covenants 45, the book by Ignacio Garcia about Eduardo Balderas, and the recent article by C. Thomas Black in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. Their conversation was recorded. It has now been edited to remove commercial interruptions and made available, at no charge, for your listening pleasure.
In the Salt Lake Valley, the Interpreter Radio Show can be heard on Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640, or — if you prefer (or if you have no practical alternative) — you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com.
Opposition to the building of Latter-day Saint temples has surged in recent years. The Cody Wyoming Temple seems to have finally gotten past the challenges, but, despite its unanimous approval by the Las Vegas city council, the Lone Mountain Nevada Temple is still facing considerable resistance.
The Church announced its intention to build a Flagstaff Arizona Temple on 6 April 2025. That’s just slightly more than two weeks ago. Moreover, I didn’t immediately pounce on this story; it’s several days old already. It certainly didn’t take much time for opponents to begin to rally against the idea of a Latter-day Saint temple in their community! We’re probably still several months away from the announcement of a specific site, to say nothing of a building design or a lighting plan. But those who seek to stop the coming of a temple to the Flagstaff area didn’t hesitate. They’ve jumped right in, as the image above illustrates.
I’ve been through Flagstaff a few times, but not recently. Can anybody tell me whether the city has electricity? Are there any nighttime lights in the area? And is time travel common in northern Arizona? (I’m curious to learn how the temple’s opponents already know that the temple will conflict with city codes, interfere with local astronomical observatories, and violate Flagstaff Region Plan 2030.) Furthermore, is it a requirement for ecclesiastical buildings in Flagstaff to provide ongoing economic benefits to the city? Are there any churches in Flagstaff? Inquiring minds want to know.
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