Of all the sermons given during the 195th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it was arguably the last one, delivered by the faith’s 100-year-old president, that offered the most timely message: In a world grown coarse with hateful rhetoric, believers should be peacemakers.
“True charity toward all men is the hallmark of peacemakers,” President Russell M. Nelson said in a taped message that echoed sentiments he shared two years ago. “It is imperative that we have charity in our discourse, both public and private. I thank those of you who took my previous counsel to heart. But we can still do better. The present hostility in public dialogue and on social media is alarming. Hateful words are deadly weapons.”
He admonished the faithful to practice charity, to make it a habit.
When charity becomes second nature, believers will “lose the impulse to demean others,” Nelson said. “We will stop judging others. We will have charity for those from all walks of life. Charity toward all men is essential to our progress. Charity is the foundation of a godly character.”
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Screens in the Conference Center show a recorded talk by President Russell M. Nelson during General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Sunday, April 6, 2025.
The man whom 17.5 million members revere as their top “prophet, seer and revelator” declared that “regular worship in the House of the Lord increases our capacity for both charity and virtue.”
Following recent tradition, Nelson, the most prolific temple builder in the faith’s history, announced 15 new temples — including a 32nd one for Utah.
Though his message was videotaped, Nelson attended the final, afternoon session in person at the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City — after viewing Sunday morning’s meeting and all three of Saturday’s sessions from home.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Russell M. Nelson greets wife Wendy at the conclusion of General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Nelson’s first counselor, 92-year-old President Dallin H. Oaks, next in line to lead the global church, delivered his conference address Sunday morning.
God considered the most important requirement for mortality to be the ability to “choose between good and evil,” Oaks said. “Those who choose good would progress toward their eternal destiny. Those who chose evil — as all would do in the various temptations of mortality — would need saving help, which a loving God designed to provide.”
The Almighty offers divine guidance for humanity, he said, including the “light of Christ,” scriptural directions (commandments, ordinances and covenant), and “manifestations of the Holy Ghost.”
With so many “powerful helps to guide us in our mortal journeys,” Oaks said, “it is disappointing that so many remain unprepared for their appointed meeting with our Savior.”
The antidote, the Latter-day Saint leader said, is to trust in the Lord and to value “the teachings of his prophets against the latest findings and wisdom of man.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Dallin Oaks waves to the audience as he leaves the stand after the morning session of General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Of the dozens of speakers over two days, three were women. Two women also prayed. Here are highlights:
Young Women first counselor Tamara Runia: Heaven isn’t for ‘perfect’ people
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Tamara W. Runia, first counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Heaven isn’t for people “who’ve been perfect,” said Tamara W. Runia, first counselor in the global Young Women organization. “It’s for people who’ve been forgiven, who choose Christ again and again.”
Runia acknowledged that she once “measured her relationship with the Savior by how perfectly I was living,” she said. “I thought an obedient life meant I would never need to repent. And when I made mistakes, which was every single day, I distanced myself from God, thinking, ‘He must be so disappointed in me.’ That’s just not true. I’ve learned that if you wait until you’re clean enough or perfect enough to go to the Savior, you’ve missed the whole point.”
Repentance doesn’t “burden Jesus Christ; it brightens his joy,” Runia said. “Let’s teach that because repentance is our best news. We don’t stay on the covenant path by never making a mistake. We stay on the path by repenting every day. And when we’re repenting, God forgives without shaming us, comparing us to anyone else, or scolding us because this is the same thing we were repenting of last week.”
Apostle Neil Andersen: Protecting the unborn ‘is not a political position’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Neil L. Andersen speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Protecting the unborn “is not a political position,” apostle Neil L. Andersen said. “It is a moral law confirmed by the Lord through his prophets.”
Sharing several anecdotes about couples facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies, Andersen pointed to the church’s position on elective abortions.
The Utah-based faith “believes in the sanctity of human life,” Andersen quoted.
“Therefore, the church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience, and counsels its members not to submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for such abortion.”
The apostle also mentioned the church’s “possible exceptions” that include when:
• Pregnancy results from rape or incest.
• A competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy.
• A competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.
The governing First Presidency goes on to say that “abortion is a most serious matter. [Even in these rare situations] it should be considered only after the persons responsible have received confirmation through prayer.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Young members listen to the morning session of General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Andersen told of a couple whose expected baby was diagnosed with “multiple congenital heart defects, one that could be potentially fatal.”
“We saw countless doctors and specialists from 10 to 18 weeks’ gestation,” the mother wrote. “…. At each of our appointments, we were asked if we wanted to continue with the pregnancy or terminate.”
The expectant parents, Andersen said, put their faith in God and had the baby.
“They excitedly welcomed their baby girl exactly one week ago today,” the apostle said Saturday. “She is theirs, and they are hers — forever.”
The world’s “diminishing love for unborn children…is a grave concern,” Andersen concluded. “As disciples of Jesus Christ, we cherish life.”
Primary first counselor Amy Wright: Believe and follow Jesus
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Amy A. Wright, first counselor in the Primary General Presidency, speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Amy A. Wright, first counselor in the faith’s worldwide children’s Primary, pointed to the Sermon on the Mount as the most noteworthy discourse in helping followers better understand Jesus Christ and his divine attributes.
To instill children with the desire to be a disciple of Christ, Wright said, it is important to begin that instruction “in Primary as early as 18 months of age.”
Wright provided three keys to aid in that quest.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Thounsads view General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Sunday, April 6, 2025.
First, she said, it is vital to believe in Christ. “We exercise faith in Jesus Christ when we have an assurance that he exists, an understanding of his true character and nature, and a knowledge that we are striving to live according to his will.”
Second, Wright extolled the importance of belonging to the Savior and his church, to engage in the “covenantal responsibility” to build his kingdom and help “prepare children for a lifetime on God’s covenant path.”
Third, Wright added, members must strive to become like Jesus. She said when teaching the Savior’s youngest disciples, children, it is crucial to tell children “we love them,” which she added would also help them understand how much their Father in Heaven and Savior love them.
“Our love may comfort and inspire,” she said, “but their love can sanctify.”
Apostle Dieter Uchtdorf: Recognizing Christ’s disciples
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Apostle David A. Bednar, with wife Susan, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf, with Harriet, wave as they leave the stand with their wives after the morning session of General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
When most people experience the church for the first time, “they aren’t thinking about priesthood authority or ordinances or the gathering of Israel,” apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf said. “What they’re likely to notice, above all else, is how they feel when they’re with us and how we treat each other.”
Anyone who seeks “greater faith in Christ, or a closer connection to Heavenly Father, should feel right at home in the [church],” Uchtdorf said. “Inviting them to our meetings can be as normal and natural as inviting them into our home.”
While Latter-day Saints hold themselves to God’s “high standards,” he said, “let’s also be patient with one another. We are each a work in progress, and we all rely on the Savior for any progress we make. That’s true for us as individuals, and it’s true of the Kingdom of God on Earth.”
The popular German apostle pointed to the title page of the faith’s signature scripture, the Book of Mormon, which states: “If there are faults, they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God.”
So, Uchtdorf asked: “Can a book — or a church or a person — have ‘faults’ and ‘mistakes’ and still be the work of God?
“My answer,” he proclaimed, “is a resounding yes.”
The unity Latter-day Saints seek “is not to have everyone stand in the same place,” Uchtdorf said. “It is to have everyone face in the same direction — toward Jesus Christ.”
Apostle Gerrit Gong: Jesus ‘wipes away our tears’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Gerrit W. Gong speaks at General Conference on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Jesus Christ “answers the longings of our hearts and the questions of our souls. He wipes away our tears,” said apostle Gerrit W. Gong, “except our tears of joy.”
Like other conference speakers, the first Asian American Latter-day Saint apostle condemned perfectionism.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Colette Jaussi observes the Christus statue with sons Cameron and Cayson during the morning session of General Conference at the Conference Center on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Easter “lets us feel God’s approbation,” Gong said. “This world tells us we are too tall, too short, too wide, too narrow, not smart, pretty, or spiritual enough. Through spiritual transformation in Jesus Christ, we can escape debilitating perfectionism.”
Christ’s resurrection “frees us from death, from time’s frailties and physicality’s imperfections,” he said. “Jesus Christ’s Atonement also restores us spiritually. He bled from every pore, weeping blood, as it were, to provide us escape from sin and separation. He reunites us, whole and holy, with each other and God. In all good things, Jesus Christ restores abundantly — not only what was but also what can be.”
Relief Society General President Camille Johnson: Become whole from Jesus in this life
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson speaks at General Conference on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Becoming spiritually whole through submission and obedience to Jesus Christ can provide strength and joy as one awaits physical and emotional healing from illness and other burdens of life.
So stressed President Camille Johnson, leader of the worldwide women’s Relief Society, in her Saturday morning address.
“He may not provide healing from illness and disease — chronic pain, autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis, cancer, anxiety, depression and the like,” Johnson said. “That kind of healing is on the Lord’s time. And, in the meantime, we can choose to be made whole by exercising our faith in him.”
As examples, she pointed to the apostle Paul, Mary Magdalene, the five wise virgins and others — examples, she said, of those who found wholeness in Jesus despite their worldly circumstances.
“All will be physically and emotionally healed in the resurrection,” Johnson taught, “but will you choose now to be whole in him?”
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Russell M. Nelson, with wife Wendy, waves to attendees at the conclusion of General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Sunday, April 6, 2025.
