The first temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the "Mormons", has opened in Belgium. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to be the restoration of the original church as established by Jesus Christ.
Religion & Philosophy
First temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Belgium opens in Brussels
Colin Clapson
Published:
The temple is located on the Kunstlaan in downtown Brussels. Although the building will undergo extensive renovation in coming years, the opening ceremony was held on Saturday.
Elder Jack N. Gerard, the spiritual leader of the church, attended the ceremony and also gave an opening speech. In it, Gerard not only declared the temple open, but also immediately recalled the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy. This prophecy states that the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will conquer the world.
‘The original Church of Jesus Christ was lost after the murder of the 12 apostles and their disciples,’ says Dinis Adriano, spokesperson for the church in Belgium. ‘It was not until 1830 that the only true church was restored by the then 14-year-old Joseph Smith.’
According to Elder Gerard, previous attempts to establish the faith in Belgium had so far failed. That is why no temple has ever opened in Belgium so far.
7,000 members in Belgium
‘We want to build more and more temples in the future, but there must be followers,’ says spokesman Adriano. ‘Over the past 20 years, the religious community in Brussels has grown. We now have 7,000 members. We hope that our members will visit the temple regularly.’
The building at Kunstlaan 52 in Brussels will undergo extensive renovation from January onwards and will be converted into a temple. By 2029-2030, the entire building should be renovated and accessible to Belgian faithful.
260 temples worldwide
The faith is centrally managed from the main temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, and there are more than 260 temples spread across the globe.