MEXICANS BLOCK MORMON TEMPLE

Following opposition from local Roman Catholics and concern over urban development issues, city officials in Monterrey, Mexico, have blocked construction of a temple by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to a Religious News Service report, “thousands of Catholics gathered signatures and purchased advertisements in newspapers protesting the temple construction.”

In spite of the public protest, Monterrey officials maintain that their decision was not based upon the community’s outcry, but that the plans for the construction of the structure “did not comply with the city’s urban development laws.”

The initial plan for building of what was to be the country’s second Mormon temple began in an effort to accommodate the growing LDS population in Mexico. The temple was to accommodate the 200,000 Latter-day Saints who make up 49 congregations in northern Mexico. However, because of strict requirements imposed by the Mormon church upon its adherents, only a small fraction can get permission to enter the temple after its dedication. The LDS church claims a total membership of 720,000 in the Latin American country.

L. Don LeFevre, LDS representative, said “the church would work toward reaching an agreement with the Monterrey officials and dispelling misconceptions [about church doctrine and practice] within the community,” the Religious News Service reported.

The country’s only LDS temple is in Mexico City and was completed in 1983.

—MKG

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