As the 16th president of the Latter-day Saints, succeeding Gordon B. Hinckley, Mr. Monson faced another test when church members, increasingly scouring online sources, found apparent contradictions between historical records and church teachings. In allowing such access, students of church policy said, Mr. Monson presided over an unprecedented era of openness about church history, while reassuring the faithful that theirs was the one true, unerring faith. Mr. Monson said nothing publicly, and the church did not withdraw its support for scouting, as a church lawyer had threatened to do in a 2000 Supreme Court hearing on exclusionary scouting practices. In 2009, it supported a Salt Lake City ordinance banning discrimination against gays in jobs and housing. The highest authority is the church president, followed by two counselors, positions based on seniority, which makes transitions free of politics but also puts a mantle of age at the top.

Source: New York Times January 03, 2018 09:00 UTC