The top leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrates his milestone 100th birthday.
It is common for religious leaders around the world, such as the leader of the Utah-based religion (commonly known as the Mormon Church), to remain in their positions well past the normal retirement age.
Counting the Latter-day Saints
-100
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will turn 100 on September 9, 2024.
-1924
This year is Nelson’s birthday.
—By the end of the year, church membership was 597,861.
— There were a total of 1,685 congregations.
—There were 25 missions.
-2024
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Nelson’s birth.
—Today, there are approximately 17.3 million Latter-day Saints.
—Church membership grew 3.8% through 2024. Last year, the number of Latter-day Saints grew 1.5%.
—At the end of 2023, the congregation count was 31,490.
—There are 450 missions.
-6
Six of the 15 members of the Mormon Church’s top leadership panel are over 80 years old: President Nelson (100), Dallin Oaks (92), Henry B. Eyring (91), Jeffrey Holland (83), Dieter Uchtdorf (83) and Quentin Cook (84).
Counting Other Faith Traditions
-99
Alexandre do Nascimento, Archbishop Emeritus of Luanda, Angola, is the oldest living Catholic cardinal. He was born on March 1, 1925.
-94
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the top religious leader for the world’s 200 million Shiite Muslims, is 94 years old.
-93
The oldest pope in the Catholic Church’s history was Leo XIII, who died in 1903 at the age of 93.
-89
The Dalai Lama, the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, is 89 years old.
-87
The current leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, is 87 years old.
-84
Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, head of the Eastern Orthodox Church worldwide, is 84 years old.
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