Jeffrey R. Holland, an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has been “excused” from all church tasks for “at least” the next two months due to his poor health. This “excuse” will remain in effect until his condition improves.
That also means he won’t be speaking as the commencement speaker at Southern Utah University later this month, a decision that has been met with widespread backlash. Further specifics surrounding SUU’s commencement will be forthcoming, according to a statement released by the university, which also stated that Holland “will no longer be attending or speaking at SUU’s commencement ceremony.”
LDS Apostle Jeffrey Holland Has Been Medically Excused From His Responsibilities
According to a news release issued by the Utah-based church on Thursday, both Holland, 82, and his wife Patricia, 81, are “suffering from the consequences” of COVID-19. Because to his health, he missed this past weekend’s General Conference.
According to the announcement, Holland has also recently started receiving dialysis treatment for his kidneys. The Hollands “appreciate the many prayers and the outpouring of support” for them, the statement continued.
At a speech at Brigham Young University on March 21, the apostle, a much-loved public figure among Latter-day Saints, announced the appointment of Christopher Shane Reese as the university’s president.
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Just three weeks from now, on April 28, Holland was supposed to give a speech at SUU. Some students, alumni, and members of the LGBTQ community in Cedar City were outraged by the school’s invitation to the Latter-day Saint leader. Citing a speech Holland gave over a year and a half ago, almost 20,000 individuals signed an online petition demanding that the invitation be withdrawn.
In an address given to BYU teachers and employees in August 2021, Holland spoke for the defense of the “doctrine of the family and… marriage as the union of a man and a woman.” In addition to this, he voiced his disagreement with the commencement address given by BYU’s 2019 valedictorian, who referred to himself as a “gay son of God.” You can see the tweet below with regard to Jeffrey Holland.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha 😂 🏳️🌈✌️
Whatcha gonna do now SUU? @SUUtbirds #suucommencement #jeffreyholland pic.twitter.com/vorltYnI5x— 'H' Hanneman (@H_the_fox) April 6, 2023
SUU President Misty Benson assured students in an email last week that the invitation to Holland would not be rescinded despite the backlash, citing his “strong ties in southern Utah” as a reason. She went on to say that the invitation had caused “conflict” on campus since it seems to collide with two of SUU’s key values: Our staunch support of freedom of expression and our strong desire for inclusion and belonging.
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