Senior Mormon official Jeffrey Holland, who fostered ties with Jews, dies at 85 |
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jeffrey R. Holland, a high-ranking official in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was next in line to become the faith’s president, has died. He was 85.
Holland died early Saturday morning from complications associated with kidney disease, the church announced on its website.
Holland, who died in Salt Lake City, led a governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which helps set church policy while overseeing the many business interests of what is known widely as the Mormon church.
He was the longest-tenured member of the Quorum of the Twelve after President Dallin H. Oaks, making him next in line to lead the church under a long-established succession plan. Oaks, 93, became president of the church and its more than 17 million-strong global membership in October.
Henry B. Eyring, who is 92 and one of Oaks’ two top counselors, is now next in line for the presidency.
Holland had been hospitalized during the Christmas holiday for ongoing health complications, the church said. Experts on the faith pointed to his declining health in October when Oaks did not select Holland as a counselor.
His death leaves a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve that Oaks will fill........