Some friends of other faiths may wonder why all the excitement over what will become the 12th temple of the Church in Europe—especially if some of the excitement comes from people who live on the other side of the earth.  True, a temple can be an indicator for the strength of the Church in any given area.  A temple in any given area is a symbol that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is well established.  But whether or not there is an extra amount of anticipation over a temple being constructed in Rome is beside the point.

David Petersen, one of Becky’s friends, was also excited about the announcement.  He said, however, that “It is not just the temple in Rome that is significant, but every temple is significant.  We go to the temple to receive ordinances that help us return to our Heavenly Father.”

Gordon B. Hinckley, former President of the Church, expounded further on the blessings of the temple when he said,

“Every man or woman who goes into the house of the Lord leaves there a better man or woman than he or she was when he or she entered the house of the Lord. The house of the Lord will have a refining effect upon you. It will cultivate unselfishness within your lives. It will build righteousness. It will impress upon you the importance of doing what you ought to do. Go to the house of the Lord.”

Temple worship makes a person better.  There is something about going there that lifts one up, helps one consider things of an eternal nature, and draws a person closer to God.

John A. Widstoe said,

“The mighty perspective of eternity is unraveled before us in the holy temples; we see time from its infinite beginning to its endless end; and the drama of eternal life is unfolded before us.  Then I see more clearly my place amidst the things of the universe, my place among the purposes of God; I am better able to place myself where I belong, and I am better able to value and to weigh, to separate and to organize the common, ordinary duties of my life, so that the little things shall not oppress me or take away my vision of the greater things that God has given us” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1922, pp. 97-98).

What a wonderful blessing it is to have temples on the earth; what a wonderful blessing it will be for the Saints in Italy to have a temple so close.

On Saturday morning in Utah (Saturday evening in Rome), our prophet, President Monson announced that five new temples would be built. As he started naming each temple, I thought in my mind, “Someday, a prophet will say, ‘Rome, Italy’.” I remember repeating it wishfully a couple of times in my mind as he named each one. When he got to the end of the list of temples and said, “Rome, Italy” I let out a small scream, buried my head in my hands, and cried. We all cried.

The assistant to the Mission President described what happened as the announcement was made in the local meetinghouse, or Stake Center, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons):

He said that when President Monson said, “Rome, Italy” in English, the person translating it into Italian paused and said, “What?” and then took a half second to let it sink in, then said, “Roma, Italia.” The congregation leapt to their feet, cheering and clapping. He said, “The women were crying, the men were hugging each other, and everyone was overwhelmed with surprise and joy.

Those responses paralleled those in the States.  Exultant cries, gasps, sighs, embraces, tears, all accompanied the announcement of this and the Cordoba, Philadelphia,  Kansas City and Alberta temples.

Rome Mission President, Jeffrey Acerson, was visibly moved by the news: “The Saints in Italy have waited a long time. We’re excited, we’re anxious and we’re very humbled by the decisionof  prophet of the Lord to move forward with a temple in Rome.” When he first heard the news, President Acerson commented:  “I felt like all the Saints here in Italy wanted to go into the streets to let everyone know a temple is coming,” he said.

There are currently more than 22,000 Mormons in Italy now, with the first Italian mission opened in August of 1850.

The temple opens the way for Saints in many areas to travel to Rome rather than to Bern, Switzerland in order to share in the blessings of eternal families, and to partake of the spiritual learning that the temple offers.

Other European temples include:

• Bern, Switzerland
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Frankfurt, Germany
• Freiberg, Germany
• Helsinki, Finland
• Kiev, Ukraine
• London, England
• Madrid, Spain
• Preston, England
• Stockholm, Sweden
• The Hague, Netherlands

Temples are the Lord’s houses on the earth. In these dedicated buildings, anyone who has conformed to the commandments of the Lord or who is so striving to do, and who has been baptized by God’s ministers on the earth (priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), and who is twelve or older can enter and serve in a holy temple.  It is a place of peace and revelation, a place of service and of learning. Special ordinances, including baptisms, confirmations, and sealings of couples together forever, occurs in these edifices. They are not secret but sacred.  In these temples, as in temples of old, the children of God are reminded of the answers to life’s questions, the role of the Savior and His atonement in personal progression, and receive the ordinances necessary to continue relationships beyond this grave and extend the gospel to millions who have passed on without having had such an opportunity.