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Carole Mikita and the AP reporting Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world voted Saturday to sustain President Thomas S. Monson as the new leader of their faith. The sustaining took place during the opening session of the 178th Annual general conference, in a solemn assembly.
A new apostle, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, was also sustained at the opening session of conference.
Church leaders called it an historic day. "This is an occasion of great significance for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world," said Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the Church's First Presidency.
For more than 125 years, during the first conference after the passing of a church president, the members of all ages have the opportunity to stand and signal their support for a new prophet. A number of church leaders remembered the passing and legacy of President Gordon B. Hinckley today. But, calling it a day of great significance, church members took part in ushering in a new era.
With a kiss for his wife and a handshake for his colleagues, President Thomas S. Monson entered the Conference Center to participate and be sustained as prophet.
His first talk came Saturday evening in the Church's priesthood session. He called upon the church's boys and men to strive to be steadfast examples of virtue in a "complex world."
"We have been placed on earth in troubled times. We live in a complex world with currents of conflict everywhere. Political machinations ruin the stability of nations, despots grab for power, and segments of society seem forever downtrodden. We who have been ordained to the priesthood of God can make a difference," President Monson told the audience.
"Ours is the task to be fitting examples," he said, before adding a direct message to church youth. "My young friends, be strong. You know what is right and wrong ... be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone."
Earlier in the day, Latter-day Saints took part in an event that has only happened 13 other times in their faith's history.
President Uchtdorf said, "Dating from October 10, 1880, when John Taylor was sustained to succeed Brigham Young as prophet, seer and revelator and president of the Church, each of these occasions has been designated a formal solemn assembly of the body of the Church to express the voice of the Church."
Each quorum or group in the Church stood in succession and voted by raised hand for President Monson, his counselors and other church leaders.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson became the Church's new apostle. Three women, including President Monson's daughter, Ann Dibb, are the new Young Women's General Presidency, and 15 new leaders from throughout the world were called to the Quorums of the Seventy.
Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, "This common law of consent has been invoked, and the Church will move forward on its prescribed course."
President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, said, "So this is a day of historical significance and of eternal importance in the history of the world and to the children of our Heavenly Father."
President Monson said, "Thank you, my brothers and sisters."
Church members said they will remember this day. Sandy resident Devin Tranter told KSL, "It feels good. He's definitely called of God and the spirit bears witness of that."
Jennie Houck, of Murray, said, "I was just baptized about two months ago, and I felt the same feeling that I felt when I got baptized."
Amber Deibert, of Salt Lake City, said, "I really love Thomas S. Monson. He's such a great guy and every time he was up there I couldn't help but smile."
Alissia Huntzinger, of Hayward, Calif, told us, "It's sad to lose President Hinckley, but it's amazing to be able to sustain President Monson as a prophet and know God's church will continue on."
President Monson became the new church president in February after the death of President Hinckley, but the faith traditionally calls for a sustaining vote of new leaders by members during the twice-yearly conferences. President Hinckley was remembered Saturday by church apostle Russell M. Nelson, who said all Latter-day Saints felt a deep sense of loss with the 97-year-old Pres. Hinckley's Jan. 27 passing. "However, we have felt our mood shift from grief to gratitude," Nelson said. "We are very grateful for what we have learned from this great prophet of God."
President Monson is expected to speak to the full membership Sunday morning. General Conference sessions continue tomorrow at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
More than 100,000 people were expected to attend two days of conference sessions, which are also broadcast in more than 80 languages on radio, television, satellite and the Internet.
(LDS.org and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
E-mail: cmikita@ksl.com
