Mormon church leaders encourage forgiveness and love after Michigan attack

Oaks opened the faith's twice-annual general conference with a brief tribute.

“I love Russell M. Nelson and have learned more about the gospel and gospel leadership from my long friendship and association with him than from any other leader I have personally known,” he said.

Oaks’ expected ascension to the presidency is likely to be announced after Nelson’s funeral, scheduled for Tuesday, a couple of days after the conference when about 100,000 members gather at the church’s headquarters in Utah.

Gary E. Stevenson, another member of the Quorum, acknowledged that some members may feel nervous gathering in a sacred space after a gunman rammed his pickup truck into one of the faith's churches in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, last weekend, opened fire and set the building ablaze. The attack killed four people and injured eight others. The gunman, who was killed by police, was described by friends as having a grudge against the church.

There was a heavy law enforcement presence at the conference center Saturday as members lined up in the rain to go through metal detectors and bag checks. The church strengthened its security protocols for the conference following the Michigan attack, said spokesperson Doug Andersen.

A call for forgiveness

Stevenson urged congregants to respond with forgiveness and love — an action some have already practiced in the wake of the shooting. Church members started an online fundraiser for the family of the Michigan gunman that raised over $360,000 as of Saturday.

“To be a peacemaker is not to be weak but to be strong in a way the world may not understand," Stevenson said. "Peacemaking requires courage and compromise but does not require sacrifice of principle. Peacemaking is to lead with an open heart, not a closed mind. It is to approach one another with extended hands, not clenched fists.”

The 200-year-old denomination known widely as the Mormon church has not held a general conference without a president for at least a century, but there's no leadership vacuum, said Patrick Mason, a professor of religious studies and history at Utah State University.

The Quorum, headed by Oaks, is leading the church and its more than 17 million members in the absence of a president, much like Brigham Young’s role for more than two years following church founder Joseph Smith’s death in 1844. In the 19th century, it was common for a couple years to pass before a new president was named. The Quorum again led the church for lengthy periods after Young's death in 1877 and John Taylor's death in 1887.

The last time a church president died just before a general conference was in April 1951, with the death of George Albert Smith. A new president was formally announced during the gathering.

Nelson died last Saturday at the age of 101. His absence was felt as thousands gathered in person and many more tuned in remotely from around the world. The two-day conference features sermons and serves as a unifying time for the faith’s global membership.

Gwenieth Wisdom, who traveled from Jamaica to attend, said she expects an Oaks presidency will not be much different from Nelson’s. She hopes to see Oaks continue Nelson’s push to build more temples around the world, especially near her home in the Caribbean.

Watching what new leader says

The president — considered a prophet by members — traditionally speaks at general conference, and it is considered an event highlight during which new initiatives, policies and temples have been announced. Attendees will be watching to see what Oaks says when he speaks again in Nelson's place at the conference's conclusion on Sunday.

At past conferences, Oaks has been the most likely to address political issues, said Matthew Bowman, an expert on U.S. religious history at Claremont Graduate University.

Oaks, a 93-year-old former Utah Supreme Court justice, is known for his jurist sensibilities and traditionalist convictions on marriage and religious freedom. He has been a driving force in the church against same-sex marriage and in upholding a teaching that homosexuality is a sin, creating anxiety among LGBTQ+ members and their allies.

Oaks also has been outspoken about maintaining civil discourse and denouncing violence, a major theme so far this weekend.

Associated Press writers Holly Meyer in Nashville, Tennessee, and Mead Gruver in Fort Collins, Colorado, contributed.