SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is scheduled to open its twice-yearly conference on Saturday, with top leaders expected to deliver speeches to thousands of in-person attendees for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
The nearly 17 million-member faith, which is widely known as the Mormon church, plans to host 10,000 people at its Utah headquarters. Though the general conference regularly drew 100,000 attendees pre-pandemic, for two years, it’s been held mostly remotely, with the majority of viewers watching livestreams from afar.
Though disagreement exists among members of the faith, throughout the pandemic, church officials have repeatedly encouraged vaccinations and adherence to public health guidelines like masks. For a period of time, they closed temples, suspended in-person services and sent missionaries back home.
Church leaders routinely discuss matters of spirituality and new initiatives at the Latter-day Saints’ signature general conference and, in the past, have also discussed current events and politics — denouncing abortion, reaffirming opposition to same-sex marriage and condemning racism.
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The church, which has historically prioritized humanitarian aid for refugees as among its top charitable causes, has recently donated millions of dollars to initiatives in Europe as Ukrainian refugees seek to escape war with Russia.
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