Mormonism’s top leader, President Thomas S. Monson, will not attend this weekend’s 187th Semiannual General Conference due to ill health incident to age.
Neither will ailing Mormon apostle Robert D. Hales, who is in the hospital, the LDS Church announced Thursday.
Monson, the current head of the nearly 16 million-member global faith, is in declining health. In May, the now-90-year-old church president, seen as a “prophet, seer and revelator” by devout Mormons, stopped going to the office and handed over day-to-day oversight of the Utah-based church to his two counselors in the governing First Presidency.
Monson did not attend Saturday’s women’s session of the conference, watching the proceedings instead from his apartment.
Meanwhile, the 85-year-old Hales “was admitted to the hospital several days ago for treatment of pulmonary and other conditions,” church spokesman Eric Hawkins said in a news release. “To permit their continued medical attention to Elder Hales, his doctors have determined that he should not participate in the church’s General Conference this weekend.”
An apostle for nearly a quarter-century, Hales is fourth in line for the LDS Church presidency, behind Russell M. Nelson, Dallin H. Oaks and M. Russell Ballard.
But Hales has been in declining health for a number of years, delivering many of his conference sermons while seated instead of standing at a podium.
Hales has been a general authority for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than 40 years, including nearly a decade as the faith’s presiding bishop. In that position, he oversaw the church’s vast real-estate holdings and business operations, and was a prime mover in the renovation of the grand Hotel Utah, now the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in downtown Salt Lake City.
He suffered health scares — a couple of heart attacks — even before becoming an apostle in 1994.
His more recent setbacks began in 2011, when poor health prevented him from attending the spring General Conference.
Six months later, speaking at a morning session during the fall conference from his seat and with an oxygen tube, Hales addressed the problem of pain.
“Why is it that the Son of God and his holy prophets and all the faithful saints have trials and tribulations, even when they are trying to do Heavenly Father’s will?” he asked. “Why is it so hard, especially for them?”
Learning to cope with adversity brings growth and spiritual strength, said Hales, who didn’t return for the afternoon session. “He knows your sacrifices and your sorrows. He hears your prayers. His peace and rest will be yours as you continue to wait upon him in faith.”
At the faith’s conference this past April, Hales was able to give his remarks while standing at the pulpit.
As Latter-day Saints follow Christ, “there will be no disparity between the kindness we show our enemies and the kindness we bestow on our friends,” the apostle told the crowd watching in the giant Conference Center in Salt Lake City and millions more watching via satellite across the globe or streaming online. “We will be as honest when no one is looking at us as when others are watching. We will be as devoted to God in the public square as we are in our private closet.”
Like the parable of the good Samaritan, true believers “cross the road to minister to whomever is in need, even if they are not within the circle of our friends,” Hales said. “We bless them that curse us. We do good to those who despitefully use us. Is any attribute more godly or Christlike?”