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Next Mormon Leader Inherits Church in Spotlight

The leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints won't name a new president and prophet of their Mormon faith until after the funeral of Gordon B. Hinckley, who died Sunday night.

Tradition dictates that the longest-serving member of the Mormon leadership will now take the helm. That would be 80-year-old Thomas Monson, who has spent 44 years in the highest ranks of the Mormon hierarchy. He'll inherit a church that is bigger and more scrutinized than ever.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Howard Berkes is a correspondent for the NPR Investigations Unit.
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