President Monson will make a great leader for the Church, and I believe he'll carry on the tremendous growth that was seen under Presideny Hinckley's leadership.

To those who don't think he will be another great one, the man does not make the calling, but the calling makes the man. He'll do just fine and will be a great ambassador to the church. I look forward to many, many years ahead with him leading the Church.

I couldn't agree more with Joseph M.

President Hinckley was such a wonderful prophet and we will miss him greatly. The transition should be an easy one though as we know and love President Monson, and he will carry on where President Hinckley left off.

Although we are saddened on the passing of our dear Prophet Hinckley, we will celebrate his great achievements and lifelong commitment to the gospel. Pres. Monson will be our spiritual leader who has sustained righteousness and lived his life commiting himself to the Lord's work. Pres. Monson spoke at San Diego Temple's Devotional pronouncing an Apostolic blessing upon the temple workers attending. A very spiritual life changing experience to have one of the Lord's choice servant pronounce such blessings.

As a very new convert in 1974 I sat at an Apostle's feet in the small Ramah Chapel in Johannessburg when President Monson visit South Africa. My brother-in-law had not yet accepted the gospel, but was photographed with President Monson whose arm was around Allan's shoulders. Allan has served faithfully since his and baptism two years later. None of us have any doubt at all that President Monson loves the Lord and will lead His Church with his love for the Saviour and his love for all of God's children that we have felt from this Gentle Giant.

Good comments... I think that President Hinckley was obviously called of God to carry out His work in the time that he served. As the world has progressively gotten worse, the church has steadily grown and progressed. As one great era has ended, another greater era is about to begin. It doesn't matter "who" is the next man for the job, so long as he's called of God. I am very grateful for what President Hinckley has done, and excited to see where we all go from here. President Monson will definately serve with all his heart, might, mind, and strength.

I have always looked forward to when President Monson would be President but right now am still so very sad at President Hinkley's passing. What an awe-inspiring man. His shoes will be hard to fill. I've lived through many Presidents and each one has uniquely and so spiritually fit the bill. They also seem to get stronger as the world gets more wicked. I'm sure President Monson will handle the position beautifully.

It would be fun to see what Packer would do.

My Father, Edwin Shipp, and President Monson were friends from their youth in Salt Lake City. Being an electrical contractor, Ed was called upon to keep Deseret News Press up and running, and thereby worked closely with Bro. Monson. As dad grew older, he asked if President Monson would speak at his funeral, to which Elder Monson agreed. Each time he saw him in later life, dad would remind President Monson of his commitment. When dad passed away 3 years ago, President Monson came to comfort my mother, be with the family at the Family Prayer, and be one of speakers at the service. It was a special time for all of us.

I mention this simply to say that our family has known President Monson from his youth, and revere him as a truly sentitive, humorous, kind, compassionate to the fullest, spiritual, dedicated, and noble a man as walks the planet. We with all who know him love him, respect him for his integrity, and regard him as truly blessed, called, and anointed of God.

President Monson is a great man. I have loved his spirit for many years. One thing that many of us need to realize is that fully one third of the Church membership today have known only one President of The Church - Gordon B. Hinkley. It is a first time experience for many of them to witness the marvel that is the succession to the office of President of the Church. Let us all honor the legacy of President Hinkley by being obedient and faithful in following the Saviour and His new earthly representative President Monson.

President Monson as well as any of them will be great in the following of the Lords teachings as the Prophet. Even the new ones that were called by the First President, we sustained to follow in counsel as well as sustaining them in whom ever is called to serve. Rather it be the president or the acting president or the youngest called, we will follow and listen to the counsel given if we are true to the faith we believe in. Trust in the Lord and prayer will give us the answers needed.

With every other active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I will sustain Thomas S. Monson as Prophet, Seer and Revelator and President of The Church, with ALL my heart. And why not? Age? Ability? Vigor? Devotion, diligence, faith, knowledge, testimony? No one can quite do what Pres. Hinckley has done, but Brother Monson will do just fine - and then some!

It will be great to see who it will be. But, in sucession, President Brigham Young was actually 2nd counselor and not president of the quorum. Yet, he was the 2nd Prophet called of God in this dispensation. So as Matt stated, it could be President Packer, or any one that the Lord calls.

whom the Lord calls he qualifies. Pres Monson will change with the calling.

From a non-Mormon friend--please explain the process by which a new prophet is chosen. Does LDS doctrine teach that the process is built on a biblical model? Are there ever tensions or concerns in the community about a particular prophet's fitness? I seem to remember a stir when Ezra Taft Benson became LDS president b/c of his political affiliations. thanks for any feedback.

"Historical precedent" has nothing to do with the succession in the presidency of The Church. Either Elder Monson is the senior apostle and holds precedence to all priesthood keys, or he loses his seniority in the quorum and the next senior apostle fills those shoes. Thus, Elder Monson is no longer the senior apostle and Elder Packer is.

"Historical precedent" is a very poor choice of words. Brigham Young didn't lead the Church because of "Historical precedent". He led the Church because the Twelve received the Keys of the Kingdom from Joseph and Hyrum Smith in "Joseph's Red Brick Store" in the early part of 1844, with Brigham Young presiding as the senior member of the quorum.

There is an unbroken chain of presidential succession from Joseph Smith to Gordon B. Hinckley and an unbroken chain of apostolic succession from Joseph Smith to Quentin L. Cook.

Don’t put a thread in the Priesthood of God.

I was wondering, when is the president a prophet. Is he like on standby until called on, is he active or potential. Can he speak for God at all times or only when God speaks to him. Can he see God. Is the president the only one who can talk with God.

Oops. It now says "one of the youngest." I suppose that is broad enough to be accurate.

All of the Twelve are "prophets, seers, and revelators."

And anyone can talk to God... it's called "prayer."

For anyone who has questions regarding the succession process, you can go to LDS.org and just search the topic. There are multiple entries to the subject. I found the following in the D&C Teacher Manual:

1. A man who has been foreordained to preside one day over the Church is called by revelation to be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

2. He is trained for his future calling ... As he outlives other members of the Quorum, he advances in seniority until he is President of the Quorum of the Twelve and only the President of the Church has been an Apostle longer than he has.

3. When a President of the Church dies, the First Presidency is dissolved... The President of the Twelve becomes the presiding authority in the Church.

4. Members of the Twelve assemble in the temple in a spirit of fasting and prayer. Guided by revelation, they come to a unanimous decision regarding the reorganization of the First Presidency. In accordance with this decision, they sustain the senior member of the Twelve as the President of the Church.

I hope this helps.

To Roger..
the question is really when is a prophet a president??? All the quorm of the twelve are sustained as prophet, seer and revelators. Check the wording in the sustainins of church officers in the Ensign, (November 2008)

President Monson will be a wonderful leader of and for the Church. The most important thing for me is knowing that the next President will be a man called by God.

eu tive o privilégio de velo aqui no brasil e senti uma força muito extraordinária...
ele realmente "é o homem"

All of the apostles are considered 'prophets' when they are called and sustained. When the church sustains them they are called to be a 'prophet, seer, and revelator.' The president is the name for the senior apostle. The first presidency also uses the title of president.

We believe that because these men are called as prophets they are like the voice of God. They communicate with God and share what God would have us learn and do. They are also referred to as special witnesses of Christ and whether they have or haven't seen God is personal to them. But they still are called to testify and witness of God the Father and His son, Jesus Christ.

Hopefully that helps with the confusion.

as anon Mormon,I would like to pay my respects to the church and its leaders on the passing of its president Gordon B. Hinckley. I will pary for You and your Leadership. carry own, I Hope to visited with you soon. I have not seen you sent your visited with Jessie Jackson.

To non-subsrciber. Yes, Pres Monson was at 36 one of the youngest men called to serve as an Apostle. Others like George Albert Smith was 33, David O. Mckay was 32. In the early years of the church it wasn't uncommon for men in their early twenties to be called. Heber J. Grant was also very young. So, the journalist made a slight error the fist time around, and corrected the information given. Thanks DMN for continued interesting articles. What a blessing it will be to have yet another well trained, well versed, well served leader at the head of the Church.

Let's pay some respect and focus on the passing of our prophet and his life before we talk about who will fill his shoes. Why is it that when one leader gets released or dies we have to talk and talk about who the next leader might be???? If we truly believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ we sustain ANYONE who He calls no matter what!!!

I have always loved Pres. Monson a very dedicated man, We all loved President Gordon B. Hinckley and his beloved family. He did inspire us spiritually. !! We will miss him and his talks about family . I know he loved the Lord Jesus Christ. I say LDS have lost a wonderful leader and a saint in Jesus christ

We are heaping praise on President Hinckley and President Monson - who are both great men - but neither would have or will accomplish anything in this great work without the Savior. It is Jesus Christ that leads the Church and if He so chooses he could have the lowliest deacon serve as Prophet and with His help the Church would do just fine.

Basically, the apostle with the most tenure becomes prophet?

My current wife is not LDS, but I am a life long member. My wife regularly attends Curch with me and absolutely loves President Monson. She affectionately refers to him as "Tommy Monson". I think President Monson will make an excellent Prophet and President of our church.

Had the unique fortune of meeting President Monson inside Snelgrove's Ice Cream shop in the Sugarhouse area of Salt Lake City several years ago.

He was very congenial and easy to approach. Truly a nice man! His bodyguards were leery of us but Monson was very nice.

He will make a great leader of the LDS Church if chosen. The LDS Church couldn't do much better than Monson.

-Inactive member.

President Monson is the senior apostle (like Peter of the NT) and will be ordained the President of the Church probably this Sunday in a meeting in the Salt Lake Temple. He will then select a 1st and 2nd counselor and they will be become the First Presidency (like Peter, James, and John of old). As a young man I grew up in Pres. Monson's ward and went to school with his family. He is a great man and will lead the church with vigor and spirituality. I look for Pres. Monson to continue an even bigger effort on humanitarian efforts and missionary work.

I still remember the headlines in the bay area newspaper after President Kimball passed away: "Storm clouds gather over Mormon Church." I had to chuckle at that column as it tried to reduce the succession of prophets in the Lord's Church to something political and controlled by man.

We have looked to President Hinckley as someone who has led the Church the past several years but it would be wise to remember that he was only a mouthpiece, a servant, and a messenger for He who actually leads the Church - The Lord Jesus Christ.

President Hinckley was a great man and so is President Monson. One has served remarkably as Prophet and the other will here shortly because they understand who it is that really leads the Church.

President Monson is one of the best persons in the world. He has been preparing for this calling for decades. There is no question that he will be one of the best prophets of our time. The Lord will qualify him for this job.

We thank thee O God for a prophet. President Hinckley will be missed in mortality, but welcomed home in the spirit world. President Monson will continue in the same inspired leadership.

I've noticed comments on this site in English and Spanish. Does anyone know if DeseretNews will accept comments in other languages? I have tried submitting comments in Japanese, but I am only given error messages.

All of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve are called as special witnesses of Christ, and as special witnesses of the name of Christ (the latter meaning the authority of Christ). The presiding quorum of the church is the First Presidency, made up of the presiding High Priest, in the church, and his two counselors. While all of the members of the quorum hold the keys of the Priesthood, those keys are dormant, and are only active with the presiding High Priest. When the presiding High Priest dies, the first presidency is disolved, and the Quorum of the Twelve then collectively presides over the church. They hold all of the keys. The President of the Quorum of the Twelve is then called to be the Presiding High Priest, two counselors will be called to form the first presidency, and another man will be called to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve.

It doesn't matter to me who is called to be our Prophet. I have always believed my entire life that these callings come from the Lord Jesus Christ. I also notice that most of the church leaders are connected and related through other prophets in the church. Is this true? At least most have strong Mormon pioneer heritages. I may be wrong, but looking at their history it seems this way to me.

R.A. Msr | 11:50 a.m. Jan. 29, 2008
My prayers are for you, President Monson. I have cherished your words for years and the true spirit of Christ you radiate every time you act in the capacity of your sacred callings in life. I have watched you from the time I was a boy. I am about the same age as your son, Clark. He and I both attended the same 'Salesmanship Class' at BYU during our college days (HFAC) building. He represented wonderfully the great name you have achieved through your faithfulness and enduring to the end in your marvelous life which has prepared you for a time that all the prophet's of old have talked about. It seems prophets like Isaiah loved more to talk about our day than their own. Like Gordon B. Hinckley use to say, 'we are only at the beginning,' what is to come will be truly great, marvelous, and a wonder to us all. How appropriate that one of your measure and stature is now entrusted to take the reins at this seminole moment in time. You have all my prayers, love, and devotion as we look to you as the Lord's chief anointed! Russ

Please live many, many years President Monson. I'll leave it at that.

Thomas Marsh had been excommunicated in 1839 and David Patten had been killed in 1838. Until that time the seniority was based on age, thus making Thomas Marsh the senior apostle and David Patten the next in line, with Brigham Young 3rd in line. It became a moot point anyway, because shortly before his death Joseph Smith based seniority in the Quorum as to when they were ordained an apostle. Even if Marsh and Patten had still been alive they would have been junior to Brigham Young, he being the first called and ordained apostle. Heber C. Kimball was ordained the same day as Brigham Young, but after him.

I am glad that they corrected the online edition about President Monson being the youngest in modern times. The hard copy of the Deseret News had him being the youngest ever. The first 12 apostles called in this dispensation were all under the age of 36, the age when Monson was ordained an apostle. They told me they will correct that to coincide with the online edition.

David O. McKay served as President of the Church for about 19 years. When he died, there was much speculation that Joseph Fielding Smith (Pres. of the 12), who was 95 at the time, would step aside and allow a younger man to be the President. That didn't happen, of course, and Pres. Smith became President of the Church. Shortly afterwards, I was a new missionary. In a meeting I attended, Pres. Spencer W. Kimball, who was Acting President of the 12, spoke on "Succession in the Presidency." He said that when the Prophet dies, "no one needs to wonder or speculate about who the next President of the Church will be." He explained that when the Lord wants someone to serve as President of the Church, He will allow that man to live long enough to become President of the 12. "Historical precedent" as mentioned in the article has nothing to do with it. As has been stated by others, Pres. Packer or any of the others in the Quorum of the 12 would do a wonderful job - but we don't need to speculate - Pres. Monson will be called, and he will certainly do a wonderful job!

To my LDS friend... I extend to you my condolences on the passing of Pres. Hickley. I'm a 41 yr old Blk man who is interested in attening a local LD service and learning more about the faith. I read the LDS site daily and have found the words of Pres. Hickley & others inspiring. Whomever GOD sees fit to govern, I wish him the best!!

As sad as I am at Gordon B.'s passing, I am thrilled at the prospect of Thomas S. as prophet. He has always been an inspiration, and I always felt the spirit while listening to him talk. I know he is the right man at the right time to lead this church.

We met President Monson once and I think is a fine gentleman. He will be a excellent Prophet.

We Love President Hinckley and will miss him greatly.

To Charlotte. NC

You will always be welcome in the LDS church and hopefully you will join. We will all welcome you with open arms.

I appreciated your comments.

According to how succession work in the Church, President Monson should be the next President. If so, I will support him fully. Can you just imagine how he must feel just about now? Wow!! I'm sure he feels very, very humbled. We need to pray for him. But I know he will do a fine job. Heavenly Father knows and will help him.

I was going to respond to different ones who have left messages on here, but somehow they have disappear. I hope I'm not just imagining this or something?

I am Happy that President Monson is going to be the next president of the church. I cannot think of a finer man to be the Prophet. I am really going to miss our wonderful Prophet G B Hinckley. My prayers are with his family at this time.

That is so neat.

And This is a "Succession of LDS president" How? It is a nice fuzzy story about President Thomas S. Monson, but you didn't say how he becomes the next President of the Church. For those who don't know, Heavenly Father calls "Apostles" by revelation through the President of the Church, then that person takes his seat according to Seniority of "Time Served" as Apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS. Now it is very simple to put it crudely but accurately, God calls the next Prophet of the World (Church) by who has the most seniority when the Presiding "President" of the Church dies. Example, President Hinckley died, and President Monson is the most Senior Apostle of the remaining 14 (quarum of 12 + 2 councilors of First Presidency). Should he want the most Junior Apostle to be the NEXT Church President it is a simple formula. The Lord will have the most Junior Apostle out live the other 14, and have the presiding Church President die when that Junior Apostle becomes the Senior Apostle. There is NO VOTING or Running For President, God Decides it all, and the other Apostles Sustain God's Will. Simple As That.