During the week of April 2 to April 8, President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was featured in a video about forgiveness, on Palm Sunday. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will be taking two months off to focus on his health. April 2023 general conference highlights, the latest Church News podcast episode and invitations from general conference were published.

A new Young Women general presidency and a change in the Young Men general presidency were announced along with five new General Authority Seventies. Prophetic invitations are made for Easter and Holy Week. Sister Kristin M. Yee, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, spoke at the Provo Missionary Training Center.

Brother Bradley R. Wilcox of the Young Men general presidency counseled BYU–Idaho graduates and Elder James W. McConkie III, General Authority Seventy, spoke at Ensign College commencement. For the Strength of Youth conferences took place in South America. Members of the Church’s Temple and Family History Executive Council participated in a discussion panel.

Read summaries of these stories below.

1. In new video, President Russell M. Nelson encourages forgiveness on Palm Sunday

President Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks of forgiveness in a video released on Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023.

Screenshot from YouTube

Following the concluding session of the April 2023 general conference on Sunday, President Russell M. Nelson released a special video to mark the beginning of Holy Week. In the video, he speaks of the forgiveness the Savior offered while still on the cross.

2. Official Church statement: Elder Holland taking 2 months off to focus on health

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife, Sister Patricia Holland, pose at their home in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 14, 2022. The Church last week announced Elder Holland would be excused from assignments and meetings for two months to focus on his health.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is taking two months off to focus on his health, according to an official statement released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thursday, April 6.

3. April 2023 general conference: Announcements, talk summaries and session highlights, new Church News podcast episode, invitations from general conference

Conferencegoers sing a congregational hymn during the Sunday morning session of the 193rd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, April 2, 2023.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

April 2023 general conference — the Church’s 193rd Annual General Conference — featured messages from the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and other Church leaders.

The latest episode of the Church News podcast features excerpts from the April 2023 general conference addresses.

During the conference, President Nelson, his counselors and 11 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the gospel of Jesus Christ. They also invited listeners to pray, ponder and take certain actions in their lives.

4. New Young Women general presidency sustained, along with a change in Young Men presidency counselors, meet the 5 new general authorities

The Young Women general presidency, effective Aug. 1, 2023. from left to right, are Sister Tamara W. Runia, first counselor; President Emily Belle Freeman; and Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus, second counselor. The Young Men general presidency as of April 1, 2023; from left to right, Brother Brad R. Wilcox, first counselor; President Steven J. Lund; and Brother Michael T. Nelson, second counselor.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

A new Young Women general presidency and a change in counselors in the Young Men general presidency were presented and sustained by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday, April 1.

Five new General Authority Seventies of the Church were sustained, as part of the April 2023 general conference.

5. ‘Most important’ emphasis, prophetic invitations for Easter and Holy Week

Flowers bloom on Temple Square during the Sunday morning session of the 193rd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 2, 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints underscored Easter Sunday as “the most important religious observance for followers of Jesus Christ,” and the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ as “the most important and transcendent event ever recorded on earth.”

And several members of the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles labeled Holy Week as “the most important week in human history” and Easter as the “most important holiday.”

6. ‘You bless the one, you will bless the whole,’ Sister Yee tells missionaries

Sister Kristen M. Yee, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, speaks at a Tuesday night devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, on April 4, 2023. Sister Yee spoke about gathering people to the gospel one by one and the importance of hearing the Spirit.

Adam Fondren, for the Deseret News

Sister Yee shared a personal experience experience during a Tuesday night devotional at the Provo MTC. Missionaries preparing to preach the gospel all over the world heard Sister Yee speak about gathering people to the gospel one by one and the importance of hearing the Spirit.

7. Brother Wilcox speaks at BYU–Idaho graduation and Elder McConkie at Ensign College commencement

Ensign College graduates line up for the processional during commencement exercises held in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square on April 7, 2023.

Laryssa Gasparini, Ensign College

Like Rafiki in “The Lion King” stirring the water and telling Simba to “look harder,” Brother Bradley R. Wilcox of the Young Men general presidency shared his hope on April 6 that BYU–Idaho graduates will remember who they are as children of God.

During Ensign College’s winter commencement on April 7,  Elder James W. McConkie III, General Authority Seventy, shared an observation, a story, some advice and a scripture.

8. Youth in South America strengthen testimonies as they participate in FSY

Youth and counselors in a For the Strength of Youth conference form letters to create the letters PFJ (FSY n Spanish) in Itá, Paraguay, January 2023.

FSY conferences kicked off the year 2023 in the southern hemisphere, where the school breaks during the summer season allowed youth to participate in the weeklong event.

9. Latter-day Saint Church leaders offer testimonies and family discovery experiences

Left, Elder Kevin S. Hamilton, a General Authority Seventy and the executive director of the Church’s Family History Department, participates in a roundtable discussion with Primary General President Susan H. Porter; Sister Kristin M. Yee, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency; and other Church leaders at RootsTech on Friday, March 3, 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Members of the Church’s Temple and Family History Executive Council told personal family stories and explained why family history matters.

The Primary general president cited three examples in response to a question about how to help children feel enthusiasm for temple and family history work, while participating in a discussion panel at RootsTech with other Church leaders in the Family History Department on March 3.