Gordon B. Hinckley Passes Away at the Age of 97

Gordon B. Hinckley, the longest serving president of the Mormon church, has passed away on Sunday. He was the fifteenth president, served for thirteen years, and presided over the church's longest period of expansions. These included the number of temples worldwide doubling from 49 to more than 120 and church membership growing from about 9 million to more than 12 million. (found on MSNBC)

His death was due to complications in health and was surrounded by family. He was previously diagnosed with diabetes and was hospitalized in 2006 due to surgery when doctors removed a cancerous growth in his large intestine.

According to the Associated Press, he was a well traveled leader and, like his contemporary, Pope John Paul II, he became by far his church's most traveled leader in history. And the number of Mormons outside the United States surpassed that of American Mormons for the first time since the church, the most successful faith born in the United States, was founded in 1830.

Hinckley began his leadership role in 1995 by holding a rare news conference, citing growth and spreading the Mormon message as the church's main challenge heading into the 21st century.

"We are dedicated ... to teaching the gospel of peace, to the promotion of civility and mutual respect among people everywhere, to bearing witness to the living reality of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the practice of his teachings in our daily lives," Hinckley said.

Over the years, Hinckley labored long to burnish the faith's image as a world religion far removed from its peculiar and polygamous roots. Still, during his tenure the Roman Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Convention and United Methodist Church - the three largest U.S. denominations - each declared that Mormon doctrines depart from mainstream Christianity.

"We are not a weird people," Hinckley told Mike Wallace on "60 Minutes" in 1996.

"The more people come to know us, the better they will understand us," Hinckley said in an interview with The Associated Press in late 2005. "We're a little different. We don't smoke. We don't drink. We do things in a little different way. That's not dishonorable. I believe that's to our credit."

U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican and fellow Mormon summed it up by saying "His life was a true testament of service, and he had an abiding love for others. His wit, wisdom, and exemplary leadership will be missed by not only members of our faith, but by people of all faiths throughout the world."