Copyright Salt Lake Tribune
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints named Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé on Thursday as its newest apostle, a Frenchman known for his ecclesiastical oversight of the faith’s financial empire and his support for Earth stewardship and sustainability. Born in Bordeaux, the 62-year-old Caussé was the church’s 15th presiding bishop, in charge of shepherding the church’s real estate, financial, investment and humanitarian operations since October 2015. He was the third presiding bishop born outside the United States and the first for whom English is a second language. He now joins two other Europeans in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: Dieter F. Uchtdorf of Germany and Patrick Kearon of Britain. Caussé has also been the point man on the church’s vast financial holdings, which have drawn significant attention in recent years. The global faith enjoys prosperity due to the sacrificial giving by multiple generations of devout members, he explained in 2018, along with adherence to sound, spiritually informed financial principles from Latter-day Saint leaders. “This abundance of temporal blessings was built upon the painful physical and financial trials that punctuated the first decades of church growth,” he said, noting that members are taught to “practice provident living, live within their means, avoid unnecessary debt, and prepare for the future.” The church’s main investment arm, Ensign Peak Advisors, has a publicly reported portfolio of U.S. stocks, bonds and mutual funds valued at $58.4 billion as of June. In-depth independent analysis, according to The Widow’s Mite Report, indicates Ensign Peak and a host of third-party funds manage total investments on behalf of the worldwide faith worth about $206 billion as of the end of last year. Widow’s Mite projects the Utah-based faith could be worth $1 trillion sometime after 2040. “We have a vision of the church that is — can I use the word grandiose?” Caussé told The Wall Street Journal in 2023, Because we believe the gospel has to be taken to all the world. And so we see the size of the church [with 17.5 million members] multiple times what it is now, in the future.” Also that year, Caussé outlined six major sustainability priorities at a conference in Brazil that included: using renewable resources, conserving water, avoiding material waste, improving air quality, practicing sustainable designs, and engaging in sustainable farming practices. In a 2022 General Conference address, he called on Latter-day Saints to protect the planet’s precious resources. “The care of the Earth and of our natural environment is a sacred responsibility entrusted to us by God, which should fill us with a deep sense of duty and humility,” Caussé said. “It is also an integral component of our discipleship. How can we honor and love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ without honoring and loving their creations?”
