I’m angrier than an honors student without a calculator over this next item. Russell M. Nelson, the leader of the Mormon church has come out of hiding to say that the fact that the advanced age of church leaders is a good thing.
Things are so bad that during this weekend’s General Conference, some elderly leaders are expected to speak from their chair or perhaps they’ll pre-record their message. This should not be happening. When I was a member of the church (for 30 years!), I always thought it was odd that the higher-ups served until death, even if, like Nelson, they reached the age of 99.
Leaders have said that “wisdom and expertise” are things that come with an advanced-age leader. I believe that leaders should step down when they reach their 70th birthday, but that’s not the way the church operates.
The pope also serves until death, unless he does what rarely happens and resigns. Perhaps the Mormon church’s leaders should know when to step down, for the good of their church. But they won’t.