Mormonism’s Pope Francis moment didn’t happen this weekend. Its pre-Francis moment, that is, in which an ecclesiastical leader from the global south ascends to the highest ranks of an historically northern tradition, in line to assume the faith’s supreme office.
Either way, it didn’t happen this weekend. The three new apostles are, on paper, demographically identical: married, lifelong, multi-generational Mormon men from Utah in their early 60s. As individuals, of course, they bring diverse personal and administrative contributions to the table, including long stints in Asian and African nations and unique family experiences. But the hopes of Mormon progressives, perhaps nurtured by Pope Francis’s much-lauded US visit, for an apostle to represent the Church’s global membership and — just maybe — bring a touch of the Holy Father’s popular populism have been disappointed.
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