Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spent nearly three hours on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, answering the questions of news media gathered in the Relief Society Building on Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
This was the newest Apostle’s first time speaking to journalists since his call 47 days ago. In a five-minute interview with Church Communication staff, Elder Kearon reflected on his conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an adult and his witness of Christ as the source of all peace.
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| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
“I see greater simplicity now in the gospel than I have ever seen,” Elder Kearon said. “I think more and more of the pure heart of the gospel, of our loving Father in Heaven, His Son, Jesus Christ, and of course of the Restoration. But when I think of my Father in Heaven, I think of the abundant love — the infinite love — and that of His Son, our Savior. And I do testify of Them and Their yearning to see us safely home again after this brief period that we all share in mortality. I’m so happy that I can try to be better at expressing that and sharing it here and all around the world as I move forward.”
Elder Kearon, 62, was raised in the United Kingdom and the Middle East, where his father worked in the defense industry. When he was 10, he began attending boarding school in England while his parents remained in Saudi Arabia. In his adult life, he lived and worked in the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United States in a range of industries, including running his own communication consultancy.
The future Apostle first came to an understanding of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he lived in California with a Latter-day Saint family. Their example stayed with him. A few years later he met missionaries on the street in London and was eventually baptized on Christmas Eve 1987.
Being a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ “adds to my shock and the very shaking nature of this call,” he said. “I hope that it brings me the perspective of a convert going forward. I always, of course, see through the eyes of my own experience. And I hope that that will be a useful part of the mix — acknowledging, of course, that by some degree we’re all converts.”
Elder Kearon left a special parting word of comfort for people in need of healing.
“To anyone who’s hurting, feeling alone, feeling forgotten, feeling neglected or mistreated, I pray that you will find peace from the source of all peace [and] from the love of your Father in Heaven, who adores you, believe it or not,” Elder Kearon said. “His Son, our Savior will put all of this right for you — and I hope soon. But certainly, ultimately. That’s my wish. And it’s also my promise on His behalf.”