93-Year-Old Russell Nelson Expected To Be Named Mormon Church's New Prophet

NPR

Published January 15, 2018 at 11:40 AM CST

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Russell M. Nelson, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, looks on before the start of the morning session of the two-day Mormon church conference Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, in Salt Lake City. (Rick Bowmer/AP)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will soon have a new prophet. Russell Nelson is expected to officially take the reins of the Mormon church Tuesday, succeeding Thomas Monson, who died earlier this month. Nelson is 93 years old, and would be the second-oldest person to lead the church’s nearly 16 million members.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young learns more about Nelson and the significance of the change from Patrick Mason (@patrickqmason), chair of Mormon studies at Claremont Graduate University.