Download Print-Friendly Version

Gérald Caussé, the French-born Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was announced Thursday, November 6, 2025, as the Church’s newest apostle. He fills the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that followed the passing of President Russell M. Nelson, a transition that prompted the reorganization of senior leadership of the Church.

Years before his name was known globally, Caussé told a simple story about ministering that sums up his approach to discipleship. In a 2023 university devotional, he described being assigned as a ministering brother to a man who had just been rebaptized and was navigating divorce, financial strain, and deep discouragement. Caussé did not offer a programmatic solution; instead, he visited, listened, prayed, and saw—saw who the man could become in Christ. Over time, consistent fellowship and the man’s own faith in the Savior brought steady change. Caussé used the experience to teach a principle he has repeated often: effective ministry begins when we look at others as the Lord sees them and act in faith on their divine potential.

Gérald Jean Caussé was born May 20, 1963, in Bordeaux, France. He married Valérie Lucienne Babin in 1986; they are the parents of five children. He holds a master’s degree in business from ESSEC Business School near Paris. Before entering full-time Church service, he built a career in the retail and food distribution sector, including leadership roles at the Carrefour Group and as a general manager and board member at Pomona, a leading French food distributor.

His Church service has spanned local and global assignments: elders quorum president, bishop’s counselor, stake president in Paris, Area Seventy, and then General Authority Seventy beginning in 2008. In 2012 he was called as first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric and, in 2015, became the 15th Presiding Bishop in the Church’s history—the first for whom English is a second language and among the few presiding bishops born outside the United States. From that office he oversaw the Church’s worldwide temporal and humanitarian operations, including welfare, bishops’ storehouses, and humanitarian partnerships.

Caussé is also an accomplished pianist. With Italian composer and conductor Nicolas Giusti he released two albums of sacred piano duets—Joyful (2019) and Noël (2020)—a creative sidelight that hints at how often he uses art and music to teach about the Savior.

In his recent ministry, Caussé has emphasized a number of important themes. 

Keeping a sense of wonder. In general conference he has urged Latter-day Saints to resist spiritual complacency and “marvel at the wonders of the gospel,” encouraging daily scripture study, prayer, and a fresh awareness of the Savior’s hand. The theme runs through one of his best-known messages, “Is It Still Wonderful to You?” where he linked spiritual awe to spiritual strength. 

The Church is about people. In another conference address, he said plainly that the Church’s strength “comes from the daily actions of millions of [the Lord’s] disciples” who care for one another. Programs and buildings matter only insofar as they lift people. That people-first lens has shaped the way he talks about local priesthood quorums, Relief Society, and ward councils—and, notably, the way he has led as Presiding Bishop. 

Temporal service as spiritual discipleship. Under Caussé’s stewardship, the Church has increasingly reported on its global humanitarian work. The 2024 Caring for Those in Need summary detailed US$1.45 billion in welfare and humanitarian assistance, 3,836 projects, and efforts spanning 192 countries and territories—a scale he frames as a natural outgrowth of the two great commandments. In public addresses this year, he has described service not only as a Christian duty but as a unifying force that blesses families, communities, and even businesses. 

Whole discipleship—body and spirit. In a BYU devotional during the pandemic, Caussé taught that happiness grows when we harmonize the spiritual and temporal dimensions of life—in other words, when covenants, character, and healthy rhythms of living reinforce each other. That integrated view is characteristic of a leader who has spent years bridging spiritual purposes with temporal stewardship. 

Faith with forward vision. Speaking to missionaries in 2024, he taught that “a vision toward the future is an act of faith,” outlining three kinds of trust: faith in oneself as an instrument in God’s hands, faith in the divine potential of the people we meet, and faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. That framework echoes the ministering story above and anchors his frequent invitations to see others as the Savior does.

Stewardship and pioneer values for a global church. Caussé has linked Latter-day Saint pioneer heritage to contemporary responsibilities: caring for the earth, serving neighbors, promoting education, and being peacemakers. These values, he argues, help make communities “better places for all” and align with the global expansion of the Church’s humanitarian and self-reliance efforts.

For journalists and observers, Caussé’s call illustrates several dynamics shaping Latter-day Saint leadership in the mid-21st century. First, it underscores an increasingly international and multilingual senior leadership pool—a reflection of the Church’s growth and its emphasis on taking the name of Jesus Christ to “every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.” Second, it brings to the Quorum a leader whose portfolio has blended the temporal and the spiritual at a global scale. He has been a primary public voice for the Church’s humanitarian transparency in recent years, explaining how fast-offering assistance, bishops’ storehouses, and international partnerships work in practice.

Third, his recurring themes—wonder in the gospel, seeing others’ divine potential, disciplined service, and forward-looking faith—are congruent with the Quorum’s apostolic mandate to bear testimony of Jesus Christ and to strengthen Saints wherever they live. His European background and bridge-building ministry suggest he will continue to speak comfortably to both lifelong members and seekers, in language that connects doctrine to daily life. And his inclination to teach with art and music will likely continue to surface in settings both formal and informal.

As Latter-day Saints around the world sustain a new apostle, Caussé’s record hints at how he will serve: by keeping the focus on the Savior, seeing people one by one, and inviting the Church to move forward in faith—with eyes open to the wonders of the gospel and hands ready to serve.

The post Who is Gérald Caussé, Our New Apostle? appeared first on Public Square Magazine.