A view of Beirut, Lebanon \u00a0(Wikimedia Commons public domain image; Benutzer: Robysan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThat was an absurdly long introduction to a very slight anecdote regarding President Nelson:<\/p>\n
For two or three years, I met twice annually with what was called the Middle East Advisory Committee of the Church. \u00a0I was never formally appointed to it, so far as I\u2019m aware, and was certainly never formally released from it. \u00a0I simply stopped being invited, and I\u2019m not sure that it still meets. \u00a0(If it does, it may consist entirely<\/em> of General Authorities now.) \u00a0Conference time is a busy time, but it was the time when the General Authority area president who oversaw the Middle East, a member of the Seventy, was back in town. \u00a0For a while, the committee was chaired by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Twelve. \u00a0I think that Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf met with us at least once. \u00a0Mostly, the chairman was then-Elder Russell M. Nelson. \u00a0He was chairing the meeting when this incident occurred.<\/p>\nOne day, our conversation focused for a few minutes on the difficult time that the Church has had in gaining full legal recognition in Egypt. \u00a0We\u2019ve been working on such recognition for decades now, and, although we\u2019ve made friends and some progress, we\u2019re still (as I understand it) not fully there, not where we ideally want to be.<\/p>\n
Pope Shenouda came up. \u00a0(Maybe I brought him up. \u00a0I don\u2019t remember.) \u00a0Owing to a particular encounter with an overzealous and very undiplomatic past member of the Cairo Branch, an American who was living in Egypt in his private capacity as a businessman but who also saw himself as advancing the cause of the Church there, Shenouda had taken particular notice of the Latter-day Saints in Egypt and had developed a particular hostility to us. \u00a0And, given the religious tensions in Egypt, the Egyptian president was simply never, ever, going to grant legal recognition to the Church over the strenuous objections of the country\u2019s leading Christian figure, who was an informal member of the president\u2019s consultative council.<\/p>\n
I commented on the matter, telling something of the story, but then sagely remarked that Pope Shenouda was about eighty years old and, given his age, certainly wouldn\u2019t last much longer. \u00a0After which time and with a new leader, I said, perhaps our chances might improve. \u00a0Having made my valuable contribution, I sat back with satisfaction until I realized that Elder Nelson, too, was eighty years old. \u00a0Open mouth, insert foot.<\/p>\n
No umbrage was taken. \u00a0Nothing was said. \u00a0And he has been friendly since then. \u00a0(Not that we\u2019re close associates or social buddies. \u00a0I don\u2019t want to exaggerate matters.) \u00a0But I had embarrassed myself. \u00a0Of course, it wasn\u2019t for the first time and, sadly, it hasn\u2019t been the last.<\/p>\n
Posted from Gleneden Beach, Oregon<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 President Russell M. Nelson entered his 102nd year of mortality today. \u00a0Remarkable. \u00a0Here are a few links that seem appropriate to the occasion: \u201cChurch Releases Photo of President Nelson on the Eve of His 101st Birthday\u201d \u201cPresident Nelson\u2019s Op-Ed in Time Magazine Hits the Right Note\u201d \u201cAs President Nelson turns 101, here\u2019s a look […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":21172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6915,3367,951,39158,1215,24470],"class_list":["post-112766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-birthday","tag-coptic","tag-egypt","tag-khalil-samir","tag-russell-m-nelson","tag-shenouda"],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"President](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2019\/08\/Russell_M._Nelson.png\")
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