Pres. Hinckley on CNN Sunday

President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will appear for a fourth time on CNN's "Larry King Live" the day after Christmas.

The appearance recognizes President Hinckley's influence in the world, said church spokesman Dale Bills.

"This interview recognizes President Hinckley's influence as a religious and moral leader whose writings, speeches and personal example inspire people of all faiths," Bills said.

President Hinckley has been interviewed by journalists worldwide since taking the church's helm in 1995.

The leader of 12 million Latter-day Saints was featured on "60 Minutes" in 1996. Clips of a conversation with then-NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw aired during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. And in an annual Gallup Poll, he has been listed alongside the Dalai Lama, golfer Tiger Woods and Pope John Paul II as one of the men Americans admire most.

President Hinckley's appearance on "Larry King Live" will be aired Sunday at 7 p.m.

He first appeared on the cable network talk show in September 1998 and made subsequent appearances in 1999 and days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

President Hinckley has traveled to more than 60 countries to meet with church members, the church reports. Growth in the LDS faith has been the subject of cover stories for two national magazines: Time and U.S. News & World Report.

President Hinckley also has written several books, manuals, pamphlets and scripts.

Last summer, President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation's highest civilian honor.

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