Current:Home > StocksA look at some of the oldest religious leaders in the world -PrimeWealth Guides
A look at some of the oldest religious leaders in the world
View
Date:2025-04-13 20:19:36
The top leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is celebrating a milestone birthday, his 100th.
Like the president of the Utah-based faith — commonly known as the Mormon church — leaders of religions worldwide commonly stay at the helm well past normal retirement age.
Counting Latter-day Saints
-100
Russell M. Nelson, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, turns 100 years old on Sept. 9, 2024.
-1924
This is Nelson’s birth year.
—By year’s end, the church had 597,861 members.
—In total, there were 1,685 congregations.
—There were 25 missions.
-2024
This is the centennial of Nelson’s birth.
—Today, there are about 17.3 million Latter-day Saints.
—Church membership has grown 3.8% so far in 2024. Last year, the number of Latter-day Saints rose 1.5%.
—At the end of 2023, there were 31,490 congregations.
—There are 450 missions.
-6
Six of the 15 men in the Mormon church’s top leadership panels are 80 or older. President Nelson (100), Dallin Oaks (92), Henry B. Eyring (91), Jeffrey Holland (83), Dieter Uchtdorf (83), Quentin Cook (84).
Counting other faith traditions
-99
Alexandre do Nascimento, the archbishop emeritus of Luanda, Angola, is the oldest living Catholic cardinal. He was born March 1, 1925.
-94
Ali al-Sistani, the grand ayatollah who is the senior religious figure for the world’s 200 million Shia Muslims, is 94.
-93
In the Catholic Church, the oldest-serving pope ever was Leo XIII, who died in 1903 at age 93.
-89
The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist leader, is 89.
-87
Pope Francis, the current leader of the Catholic Church, is 87.
-84
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who leads Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide, is 84.
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- UConn's Geno Auriemma stands by pick: Paige Bueckers best in the game over Caitlin Clark
- Moscow attack fuels concern over global ISIS-K threat growing under the Taliban in Afghanistan
- RHOP's Candiace Dillard Bassett Confronted With NSFW Rumor About Her Husband in Explosive Preview
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
- New Jersey youth wrestling coach sentenced to more than 7 years in child sex abuse images case
- Could House control flip to the Democrats? Early resignations leave GOP majority on edge
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Baltimore bridge collapse victim, father of three, was fighting for us always, wife tells WJZ
Ranking
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Devastating loss to Illinois shows Iowa State is very good program, just not great one yet
- 3 Pennsylvania men have convictions overturned after decades behind bars in woman’s 1997 killing
- Can 'villain' Colorado Buffaloes overcome Caitlin Clark, Iowa (and the refs)?
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- 9-year-old California boy leads police on chase while driving himself to school: Reports
- Moscow attack fuels concern over global ISIS-K threat growing under the Taliban in Afghanistan
- Jenna Dewan Shares Update on Wedding Plans With Fiancé Steve Kazee
Recommendation
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
PFAS Is an Almost Impossible Problem to Tackle—and It’s Probably in Your Food
Baltimore bridge collapse victim, father of three, was fighting for us always, wife tells WJZ
5 injured in shooting outside a Detroit blues club over a parking spot dispute, police say
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Baltimore bridge collapse victim, father of three, was fighting for us always, wife tells WJZ
4 things we learned on MLB Opening Day: Mike Trout, Angels' misery will continue
Nate Oats channels Nick Saban's 'rat poison' talk as former Alabama football coach provides support