Now, if I may, I'd like to make a comment about another very probable reason for Elder Bednar's assignment. I have long felt and said that though I feel President Monson will call an additional counselor in the First Presidency to compensate for his and (possibly) President Eyring's bad health (to say nothing of President Eyring's wife's condition), I would not mention who I feel it might be until we knew more about the health of the Brethren. Since this is unprecedented, and due to the fact that Elder Bednar did fill this assignment this weekend, I thought I would let you know that Elder Bednar is the one I feel will be called to that position, if and when that happens.
I have done enough Church history to state with knowledge to back me up that nearly every person who has been called to be a member of the First Presidency did go through a sort of "vetting" process by being asked to preside at an important event usually conducted by the First Presidency. In this way, apostles are tested as to how they would handle being more in the public eye. I know for sure that it happened that way with President Eyring before his call as second counselor to President Hinckley in 2007, and it happened with President Hinckley before his call as a counselor to President Kimball in 1981. So my theory is not without precedent.
Additionally, Elder Bednar is in the unique position of being the junior apostle to Presidents Eyring and Uchtdorf, so his status as still somewhat of a junior apostle is not an issue. Also, he is still the third youngest apostle, which would mean he would add youth and vigor to the Presidency and considerably lower the average age of that body. Given the health of Presidents Monson and Eyring and Sister Eyring, it would probably then be advisable to call a new member to the Quorum of the Twelve, which would need its full strength due to the age and health of some of that body's senior members, while Elder Bednar devotes his full energy to the work of the First Presidency, opening the odds of someone younger than him being called to take his seat in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and thus lower the average ages also of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as a body and of the apostles overall. I would welcome thoughts about my theory in the comments below.
In the meantime, since it has been 9 days since I last posted my temple progress report and in light of the progress made since then, I thought i would end this post with the newest version of the report. Let me know your thoughts. I particularly want to get a feel for what you guys would think of my switching the Winnepeg and Arequipa temples in terms of when a groundbreaking might take place. It is an intriguing question as to which might happen first, and I could see listing them either as they are now or switched. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Temple Construction Progress Report
(current as of 10/31/16)
Current Temple Status: 154 operating; 1 scheduled for dedication; 11 under construction; 3 undergoing
renovation; 11 announced (As many as 3 groundbreaking announcements may be made soon).
Dedication scheduled:
155. Hartford
Connecticut Temple: Preparing for dedication; dedication scheduled on Sunday
November 20, 2016.
Under Construction:
156. Paris France
Temple: Interior work underway; open house committee assembled; completion
anticipated sometime during the first
half of 2017.
157. Meridian Idaho
Temple: Adding landscaping structures; installing fence posts and lamp posts; completion
anticipated sometime in late 2017.
158. Cedar City Utah
Temple: Installing sprinkler
systems and planting bushes; completion anticipated sometime
in late 2017.
159. Tucson Arizona
Temple: Pouring concrete parking lot; adding
landscaping structures; completion anticipated sometime in late
2017.
160. Rome Italy Temple:
Interior work progressing; completion
anticipated sometime in the first
half of 2018.
161. Concepcion Chile
Temple: Steeple framework going up; completion anticipated sometime in 2018.
162. Kinshasa Democratic
Republic of the Congo Temple: Main
level floors poured; completion
anticipated sometime in 2018.
163.
Durban South Africa Temple: Preparing to pour foundation; laying aggregate for
parking; street entrance cut; hydroseeding sloped land;
completion anticipated sometime in 2018.
164. Barranquilla
Colombia Temple: Foundation walls going up; completion anticipated sometime in 2019.
165. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Erecting structural framing; completion
anticipated sometime in 2019.
166. Lisbon Portugal Temple:
Site clearing phase; construction fence erected; concrete bleachers removed; completion anticipated sometime in 2019.
Undergoing Renovation:
8. Idaho Falls Idaho
Temple: Closed for renovation; finish work underway; resurfacing and restriping
parking lot; rededication anticipated sometime during the first half of 2017.
20. Jordan River Utah
Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime in late
2017.
41. Frankfurt Germany
Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime in 2018.
Announced:
167. Arequipa Peru
Temple: General contractor selected; construction
anticipated to begin late 2016 or early
2017.
168. Winnipeg
Manitoba Temple: Permitting phase; temple fireside held September 11, 2016;
groundbreaking anticipated in either late
2016 or early 2017.
169. Rio de Janeiro
Brazil Temple: Construction preparation phase; plans approved by local
government; groundbreaking pending.
170. Urdaneta
Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site
announcement.
171. Port-au-Prince
Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
172. Bangkok Thailand
Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
173. Abidjan Ivory
Coast Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.
174. Quito Ecuador
Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.
175. Harare Zimbabwe
Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.
176. Belem Brazil
Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.
177. Lima Peru Los
Olivos Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.
Key:
Bolded numbers and text denote
temples whose numbers already exists (for renovations), or is certain due to a
scheduled dedication, as well as information that is certain, such as
dedication or groundbreaking dates.
Italicized numbers and
text denote temples whose numbers may change based on the order in
which future dedications and groundbreakings are scheduled.
Underlined numbers and text denote
temples whose numbers may change based on progress towards planning, approval,
and groundbreaking.
Red text denotes changes from
the last posted temple progress update.
You mentioned the health of President and Sister Eyring, what is going on?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the question. Don't know how well you have followed my blog posts in the past, but Sister Eyring is suffering from dementia, according to reports. She needs help functioning from day to day, and President Eyring is her primary caregiver. Some days, she doesn't even recognize him, from what I've heard. So President Eyring has only taken a handful of assignments during the last several months, and with President Monson not doing well, the First Presidency is continually delegating more and more to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. As to President Eyring himself, two things make me think something is up with his health. First and foremost, he represented the First Presidency and the Monson family in the recent ceremony to officially name a building on the U of U campus after President Monson. In the video capturing the ceremony that appeared on KSL, you can see him looking gaunt, pale, and frail. Next, he butchered the middle name of President Uchtdorf (whose middle name is Friedrich. He has butchered the name every time he has led the sustaining, but each time he has so led the sustaining, he has gotten closer and closer. This time, though, it sounded like he said "Frank" as President Ucthdrof's middle name, which is nowhere close to the actual name. When he got to D. Todd Christofferson's name, he said "R. Todd Christofferson." He hasn't ever done that in the sustaining before. These facts together indicate that President Uchtdorf is the most functional member, and perhaps the only really active member, of the First Presidency. THis is verified by the fact that more is being delegated to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Of the seven temples dedicated or rededicated this year, three of the dedications have been done by members of the Twelve, with the most recent one (Star Valley Wyoming) done by Elder Bednar, who is one of the more junior apostles and is the third youngest. This indicates to me that changes are likely to happen soon, and what I have proposed above would fix whatever issues exist. This increases the likelihood of an additional member of the First Presidency being called, and who better than someone who is junior to the current counselors but is only the third youngest apostle by age? Above this post is a post about the average ages of the Brethren. Give it a read and let me know what you think. Thanks again for the comment.
ReplyDeleteAnother thought I had. If Elder Bednar is indeed called as an additional counselor in the First Presidency, at what point(s) might he speak, and might he lead out in the sustaining of Church officers? Last time we had an additional counselor called into the First Presidency (which was President Hinckley), not only did he lead the sustaining vote: he also gave his first conference address as a member of the First Presidency right after the sustaining. Not sure whether I should include this theory in my predictions for next general conference, which I have tentatively drawn up. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI thought I had seen you post about Sis Eyring having dementia, but I couldn't find it again. I do wish that there was a way to better know about the health of the brethren. I noticed the same things during the sustaining of the Apostles. I also noticed for the first time that Pres Uchtdorf is starting to look old. That could be a sign of the extra responsibility. The Church is very different than it was in 1981 when we last had an extra counselor in the FP. There are a lot more members of the 70 to assist in the work. Elder Bednar dedicating the Star Valley Temple may have been as simple as because his wife being from there. But I did note one thing about temple dedications. Only 6 temple been dedicated by someone not serving in the first Presidency. The Manti was dedicated by Lorenzo Snow who was the 2nd senior Apostle (there was no First Presidency). Boyd K. Packer dedicated the Regina Temple because of an issue with the plane that kept Pres Hinckley from being there. He then dedicated the temple in his hometown of Brigham City. Those 3 are in the first 149 temples. The remaining 3 are within the last 5. It will make it interesting to see who dedicates the temples in Hartford.
ReplyDeleteI am keeping an eye on the health of the Brethren. I will let you know of future developments as I am able to ascertain any information. President Uchtdorf just had his 76th birthday last Sunday. I know that there are General Authority Seventies to take care of some things. But that doesn't change the fact that the Brethren are aging. While I can't say how the average ages I mentioned compare with apostolic age averages throughout the history of the Church, I do know some are much older than the average, and some are much younger. The apostles have so many responsibilities, and some of those things are simply responsibilities that, due to their nature, cannot be fulfilled by anyone other than one of the apostles. I agree there has not been and may not be for a while a need for an additional First Presidency member and a new 16th apostle, but I can't shake the feelings I have that it's bound to happen sooner rather than later. If the First Presidency feels it is needed, it will happen. I just honestly don't know how or when that might take place. I wouldn't rule it out entirely. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDelete