Rome LDS Temple, four others announced

The 12th European temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be built in Rome.

During the opening Saturday session of the 178th Semiannual General

Conference, convened in the Conference Center, LDS Church President

Thomas S. Monson announced five new temples will be built in coming

years.

Currently, 128 temples are in operation, and today's announcement

brings the number of announced temples to 17. Once completed, the new

temples will bring the worldwide total to 145.

The exact location of the new temples will be announced at a later

date. Not since April 2000 have so many temples been announced at one

time, according to a church news release.

The Rome Italy Temple will be the first to be constructed near the

worldwide headquarters for the Roman Catholic Church. It will serve

church members from a variety of countries and greatly reduce travel

time and expense to the Latter-day Saints living in the area, the

release states.

President Monson said the church also plans to build temples in

Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Cordoba, Argentina; the greater Kansas City

area; and in Philadelphia. The announcement of the temple in Rome

brought an audible gasp and smiles to more than 20,000 church members

assembled in the Conference Center.

Reaction was emotional. Italy Rome Mission President Jeffrey Acerson,

who has been in Rome sine July 2007, was moved by the news.