(OSV News) – Catholics involved in interfaith efforts have offered their condolences to the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the death of their president, Russell M. Nelson, Sept. 27 at age 101.
Nelson’s death came the same weekend as a Latter-day Saints church in Michigan was attacked by a gunman who also lit the building on fire in which five people were killed and eight people injured.
“The Catholic community in the U.S. joins members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in mourning the passing of President Russell M. Nelson, and as a Church, we offer our deep sympathy and prayers at the loss of life and the destruction of the LDS church in Michigan on Sunday,” said Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, Pennsylvania, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs.
While the USCCB does not maintain an official theological dialogue with the Latter-day Saints, Bishop Bambera said, “we have worked with the church on some shared policy concerns and are grateful for the church’s support of local Catholic initiatives that have benefitted people in need.”
When Nelson met Pope Francis in 2019, he became the first head of his Salt Lake City-based church to meet with a sitting pope. Nelson’s tenure as the church’s president marked an increase in interfaith relations, including with the Catholic Church.
“As a man of faith in God and conviction to his calling from God he is beloved by people the world over. There are many accolades attributed to President Nelson’s leadership, but one in particular that stands out is his friendship and care for those who are suffering and in need,” said Father John Evans, vicar general for the Diocese of Salt Lake City in a statement.
“The Catholic Church in Utah and, through his leadership, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have long worked together to care for the poor and vulnerable here in Utah and beyond,” the priest said. “President Nelson has been an inspiration for many and a steady leader to truly minister for the good and to see the dignity in others.”
As president, Nelson was viewed by Latter-day Saints as their prophet. He was the 17th man to lead the 17.5-million-member church.
During the historic meeting between Nelson and Pope Francis March 9, 2019, in Rome, the two world faith leaders discussed where their churches had common ground, such as their concern for suffering people, religious liberty, the importance of the family, increasing secularization in the world and the need for people to have faith in Jesus Christ.
“We had a most cordial, unforgettable experience with His Holiness. He was most gracious and warm and welcoming,” Nelson said at the time. “What a sweet, wonderful man he is, and how fortunate the Catholic people are to have such a gracious, concerned, loving, and capable leader.”
Although both churches proclaim faith in Jesus Christ, baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not recognized by the Catholic Church because of different understandings of the Trinity.
“There is not in fact a fundamental doctrinal agreement. There is not a true invocation of the Trinity because the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, according to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are not the three persons in which subsists the one Godhead, but three gods who form one divinity,” reads a document from the Congregation, now Dicastery, for the Doctrine of the Faith on the subject. “One is different from the other, even though they exist in perfect harmony.”
Nelson presented Pope Francis with a miniature replica of the Christus statue sculpted by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldson, which has become a symbol associated with the Latter-day Saints. Pope Francis presented Nelson with a copy of “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), his 2016 post-synodal apostolic exhortation following the 2014-2015 Synods on the Family.
“The differences in doctrine are real,” Nelson said at the time. “They are important. But they are not nearly as important as things we have in common.”
Nelson was born Sept. 9, 1924, in Salt Lake City. Before his ecclesiastical career, Nelson was an accomplished cardiothoracic surgeon, helping develop the heart-lung bypass machine used in the first open heart surgery on a person. In 1955, he performed the first such procedure in Utah, the first west of the Mississippi River.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints relies on volunteers for local leadership. During his medical career, Nelson served in several local leadership positions before being ordained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — similar to the College of Cardinals — in 1984.
In 2016, while still a member of the quorum, Catholic Community Services of Utah honored Nelson during its annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner.
“It is especially meaningful to me because it comes from valued friends who are themselves such stalwart examples of dedication to people in need,” Nelson said upon accepting the award. “I spent my entire professional career endeavoring to save lives — physical lives — as a heart surgeon. I feel right at home among you, as you are also saving lives — saving lives from deprivation, despondency and despair.”
Father Christopher Gray, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, noted that locally, Latter-day Saints service missionaries assist Catholic Community Service’s efforts to serve those in need, particularly with refugee services.
“Under President Nelson’s leadership, the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been very much fortified by the commitment of the LDS Church to work together with the Catholics for the sake of the poor and vulnerable in the world,” Father Gray said.
St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Heber City, Utah, had a Mass for the repose of Nelson’s soul Oct. 2. The liturgy drew 250 people to the small church, according to Deseret News.
As the longest-serving member of the quorum, he ascended to the presidency of the church Jan. 14, 2018, following the death of his predecessor, Thomas S. Monson. He immediately began discouraging the use of “Mormon,” a popular nickname long applied to the church and its members. He emphasized the use of the church’s full name.
During the papal transition earlier this year, Nelson and the other members of the church’s First Presidency, the Latter-day Saints’ highest governing body, offered their condolences on the death of Pope Francis and gave a message of support for Pope Leo XIV.
“As the world pauses to remember his example of forgiveness and service, we feel deep gratitude for the goodness of a life well lived and rejoice in the hope of a glorious resurrection made possible through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ,” Nelson said when Pope Francis died.
On Pope Leo’s election, he wrote that “we deeply appreciate our longstanding relationship with the Catholic Church and the many ways we have worked together to relieve suffering around the globe. We look forward to continuing our work towards a world where peace, human life and dignity and religious freedom are cherished and protected. We share your commitment to follow the example of Jesus Christ and welcome further opportunities to collaborate in caring for those in need.”
During Nelson’s tenure, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has encouraged interfaith partnerships in serving those in need, locally and globally. Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, offered his condolences, adding that he is grateful for the organization’s longstanding partnership with the church.
“We are honored to have stood alongside President Nelson and the Church in serving those most in need,” Callahan said. “At this time of loss, we extend our deepest condolences to the Latter-day Saints community and to all those who mourn his passing.”
Collaborative efforts between CRS and the LDS Church date to the 1980s in helping with food distribution during the Ethiopian famine. Recent projects include a joint effort to provide safe and reliable running water to more than 2,000 people in a Liberian community.
“His vision and unwavering commitment to humanitarian service inspired and strengthened our shared mission, expanding access to clean water, improving health and nutrition and enabling urgent emergency response around the world,” Callahan added.
Following succession procedures for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Dallin H. Oaks — as the longest-serving member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — will take over as the global leader of the church. Following the Oct. 1 broadcast of a tribute to Nelson, funeral services for him were to be held Oct. 7.