Two Mormon Leaders in Ill Health; Church Involvement Limited

By Alison Lesley --
13 May 2015 --

Elder L. Tom Perry and Elder Richard G. Scott.

Two senior Mormon leaders, Elder L. Tom Perry and Elder Richard G. Scott, have been afflicted with ill health in the past weeks although they are currently on the verge of recovery.

The two leaders, Elder L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott have been long serving members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles along with the First Presidency forms the two top governing councils of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The two have been hospitalized in different periods as they battled medical conditions but latest reports indicate they are well on their way to recovery with Elder L. Tom Perry able to resume most of his functions.

Church Issues Update on Health of Leaders: http://t.co/nT0dtHjmVS #ElderPerry #ElderScott pic.twitter.com/HbyGDFBUJo
— Mormon Newsroom (@MormonNewsroom) May 8, 2015

The LDS Church announced on Friday that Elder Richard G. Scott was resting at home recovering after being released from hospital on April 28. He had been suffering from internal bleeding and an ulcer was found in the stomach and the bleeding controlled without the need for major surgery. Doctors consider his condition stable. Elder Scott missed last month’s LDS general conference and has been unable to fully participate in the meetings of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles due to a fading memory incident he experienced as a result of advanced age. His counterpart Elder L. Tom Perry has just been able to resume his church responsibilities including attending Quorum of the Twelve Apostles meetings after being under treatment for thyroid cancer since April 24. He has in the past experienced breathing difficulties.

Elder L. Tom Perry is the eldest living Mormon apostle at 92 years of age. He is also the second ranking member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles behind 90 year old Elder Boyd K. Packer in terms of years of service. He was born on August 5, 1922 in Logan Utah in the United States of America. He was called to his present position as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles on April 6 1974 having served as an assistant to the apostles from 1972 and has been an apostle for 41 years. He began his church service with a mission to the Northern states in 1942 serving two years with the Marines in the Pacific. Previous positions in church have included serving as a counselor in a bishopric in Lewiston, Idaho; counselor in a stake presidency in Sacramento, California; high councilor in the New York Stake; and president of the Boston Stake.

Elder Richard G. Scott has been a Mormon apostle for 26 years. He was born on November 7, 1928 in Pocatello, Idaho. His first church mission was in Uruguay and he later served as a president of a seventies quorum and a stake clerk before a mission to Argentina in 1965. He has also served in various church positions including mission president, counselor in a stake presidency, regional representative, managing director in the Priesthood Department, then as executive administrator in Mexico and Central America. On September 29, 1988 he was called to become a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and was sustained on October 1.