From The University of Wyoming Religion Today Column for the Week of Feb. 10-16, 2008:
Following the death two weeks ago of 97-year-old Gordon B. Hinckley, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (more commonly known as the LDS or Mormon Church), the Church had to elect a new president, someone who would guide the Church as an administrator and as a prophet.
Many people initially were reminded of the recent election of a new pope in the Catholic Church, following the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005. Certainly, Gordon B. Hinckley and John Paul II occupied similar positions in their respective churches. Both led flocks that spanned the globe, and members of each church saw their respective leader as God’s spokesman on earth. However, the prolonged uncertainty that preceded the election of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as the new Pope was completely absent from the aftermath of President Hinckley’s death.
The highest levels of leadership in the LDS Church are called the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The First Presidency consists of three men: the president of the LDS Church and two counselors. The president serves until he dies; then the First Presidency is automatically dissolved and the two counselors are absorbed into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (which then has 14 members). This group of 14 men governs the Church until a new president is chosen by unanimous vote in a process that Mormons believe is divinely guided.
By tradition, the man who has served in the Quorum of the Twelve the longest is selected as the new president. For this reason, Mormons and non-Mormons alike knew years ago that, barring some unforeseen circumstance, Thomas S. Monson would be the next president of the LDS Church.
Nevertheless, until it was made official on Monday, both the LDS Church and lay Mormons used language that made it clear that Monson’s election was not a done deal — since Mormons believe that God selects the president of the Church, they wanted to leave open the possibility that God might call someone else to that office. While the utter predictability of this process might make it seem more mechanical than divinely guided to non-Mormons, the LDS Church pointed out in an official press release that the process “happens in an orderly way that — remarkably in today’s world — avoids any trace of internal lobbying for position or rank. It is devoid of electioneering whether behind the scenes or in public.”
In contrast, the conclave that resulted in the election of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as pope brought together Roman Catholic officials from around the globe. Many of these men had never met each other, and, although it took place behind closed doors, campaigning was virtually required for the group to come to a decision.