SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 4, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plans to build temples in six locations, Russell M. Nelson, prophet and president of the Church, announced Sunday at General Conference.
“Since becoming the leader of the Church in 2018, President Nelson has announced the construction of 49 new temples,” a Church news release states.
The LDS Church now has 230 temples operating, under construction, or announced, according to the news release.
The six new temples will be built in the following locations:
Tarawa, Kiribati
This will be the first temple in Kiribati, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean near the international dateline, the news release says. Nearly 21,000 Latter-day Saints are spread throughout about 40 congregations — approximately one-sixth of the population. The LDS Church operates Moroni High School in Kiribati.
Port Vila, Vanuatu
This will be the first temple in Vanuatu, which is home to more than 10,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 40 congregations. Port Vila sits on the south coast of the island of Efate. In the early 1970s, several Latter-day Saint families moved from Tonga to Vanuatu. Missionary work began in 1975, the news release says.
Lindon, Utah
The Lindon Utah Temple will be the seventh temple in Utah County.
“As the Church’s world headquarters, Utah has 2.1 million Church members, which is approximately two-thirds of the state’s population of 3.2 million residents. There are 17 operating temples in the state, including the Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Logan, Jordan River, Manti, Monticello, Mount Timpanogos, Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain, Payson, Provo City Center, Provo, St. George, Salt Lake and Vernal Temples,” the news release says.
Announced or under construction in Utah are temples in Layton, Orem, Red Cliffs, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Taylorsville, and Tooele Valley.
Greater Guatemala City, Guatemala
This will be the fourth announced temple in Guatemala. The country is home to nearly 300,000 Latter-day Saints in approximately 440 congregations.
“The first missionaries began preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in 1947,” the news release states. “A year later, the first official church meeting occurred in a rented building with 66 individuals in attendance.”
The other temples announced or in operation are the Corbán Guatemala Temple, the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple, and the Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple.
São Paulo East, Brazil
The São Paulo East temple is the 12th temple announced in Brazil, which is home to approximately 1.5 million Latter-day Saints spread throughout some 2,100 congregations. There are 35 missions of the Church in Brazil, second most to the United States.
“The first known member of the Church to live in Brazil immigrated from Germany in 1913. In 1986, Brazil became the third country outside the United States to have 50 organized stakes (similar in size to a diocese). The temple in São Paulo will be the second in the city,” the release says.
Other temples in Brazil are in Belem, Brasília, Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro Salvador and São Paulo.
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
This will be the second temple in Bolivia, a country home to more than 200,000 Latter-day Saints spread throughout 270 congregations. With a population of more than 3 million people, Santa Cruz is one of the largest cities in the country and is located on the Pirai River in the eastern Tropical Lowlands. The Cochabamba Bolivia Temple was the first to be built in the country.
