Mormon church leader cites easing of church's stance on social issues, but rules out same-sex marriage, women leaders  

During an appearance at a National Press Club Headliners Luncheon May 26, Elder David A. Bednar, a member of the the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was eager to highlight the advances the church has made on social issues within recent years. 

In his opening remarks, the religious leader noted that the church has lent its support to efforts to prevent workplace discrimination among members of the LGBT community in a number of states, including Utah, Arizona and Georgia. 

He also emphasized the role that women play within the church, citing 93,000 women members serving to advance the goals of the church within local congregations.

However, when pressed on potential changes the church could make within its own ranks, Bednar signaled a different tune.

“We believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Father's plan for the eternal destiny and happiness of his children,” Bednar said in response to a question from Club President Jen Judson over whether or not he could envision LGBTQ members’ marriages being sealed by the church.

Bednar also appeared to rule out the possibility of a woman eventually serving in a top role within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“We follow the pattern of the ancient church,” he said. “We believe that a man must be called of God by prophecy and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof. The pattern, anciently, was that the apostles were men.”

“That that's the pattern,” he added.

Bednar’s remarks before the club marked the first time a high-ranking member of the church addressed the Club since then-president Gordon Bitner Hinckley’s appearance in 2000. A former president of Brigham Young University-Idaho, Bednar has been a member Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of the church's governing bodies, since 2004.

He used the opportunity to tout the rapid expansion of the church, noting that membership has grown by more than 6 million worldwide in the past two decades. The church's humanitarian projects, ranging from efforts to build access to clean water in African nations to providing care for refugees from the recent war in Ukraine, have tripled.

“In [2000], church membership was approaching 11 million,” Bednar said. “Today, church membership is almost 17 million worldwide. We have more than 31,000 congregations. More of our members live outside of the United States than within the United States and church members speak over 160 languages.”

When confronted with ongoing criticism of the church over social issues, Bednar demurred.

“We have been mischaracterized since 1830,” he said. “That's always been the case. I don't think it will ever go away. We don't like it, but we don't spend all of our time trying to respond to it. We have a mission to fulfill and we're moving forward to accomplish that mission.”

To that end Bednar brushed off questions surrounding the church in the wake of the new Hulu series “Under the Banner of Heaven,” an adaptation of a Jon Krakauer book that depicts the abuse of young fundamentalist Mormon women in the 1980s.

“Given all the stuff that I just described, who has time to watch programs on TV?” he asked.