Head of Mormon Church on Tour of African Nations
Gordon B. Hinckley embarked Friday on the first visit by a Mormon church president to Central Africa, a significant milestone for a faith that until 20 years ago excluded blacks from its priesthood.
Hinckley, 87, planned to fly first to Nigeria, followed by stops in the capitals of Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
During his six-day tour, Hinckley’s audiences outside South Africa will be made up primarily of blacks who have joined the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1978, when the church lifted the priesthood ban and missionaries began proselytizing across the color line in Africa and elsewhere.
Since then, the church’s membership has grown to roughly 100,000 in all of Africa.
Nigeria, with more than 30,000 members, now outstrips South Africa with its 24,400 Mormons. There are nearly 15,000 church members in Ghana, 6,700 in Zimbabwe (the former Rhodesia) and 2,400 in Kenya, according to the church’s latest figures.
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