How the House of the Lord Is Blessing the Growing Church in France and Europe

As his ministry in Europe nears completion, Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, accompanied by his wife, Valérie, visited the Paris France Temple on Thursday and Friday, February 26-27, 2026. They participated in sacred ceremonies, visited with patrons and leaders of the temple, and met with new members of the Church along with journalists at the Paris Temple Visitors’ Center.

“The ordinances of the temple differentiate us from all other Christian churches,” Elder Caussé said at the Paris South Stake conference held for Latter-day Saints and friends of the faith on Sunday, February 22. “How many churches can say and affirm that families can be eternal?”

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Temples are sacred spaces for Latter-day Saints. The ceremonies within allow family bonds to endure beyond death. Temples are distinct from local chapels. Sunday services and other weekday activities at local meetinghouses are open to all. Temples are reserved for prepared and faithful members.

Members sacrifice to worship in these special places. Nathan Neville, for example, traveled more than two hours to worship in the Paris Temple during the week Elder Caussé visited France.

“We love being here to worship and feel [Jesus Christ’s] presence,” Neville said. “We have a very busy life. This is an occasion to take the time [to be in the house of the Lord] and feel better.”

Stephania Tonon has worshiped in temples from a young age. Being in the house of the Lord helps her feel a closer connection both to Christ and her father, who died when she was 13.

“Worship in a temple means a lot to me,” she said. “It binds me to the Lord, and I feel the same feeling [each time in the temple] that I had when we were sealed as a family with my father. I want to worship in the temple because I want to feel this feeling again and again. I can truly find the Lord here in His house.”

From the moment in 1998 that President Gordon B. Hinckley told the Saints in France that a temple would be built in their country, the Caussés made it a matter of daily prayer for nearly two decades.

“There was not one day that went when our family didn’t offer a prayer on behalf of the temple project,” the Apostle said. “And what a beautiful experience it was as a family to be able to gather together in the temple once it was dedicated [in 2017].

That year, Elder Caussé and his wife, Valérie, served as guides at the Paris Temple for a week prior to its dedication by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency. During one tour, the concept of eternity was discussed.

The Apostle explained: “That day, I realized something I had taken for granted. Through the restoration of the church, the keys to the priesthood, and the sealing of families, we have a vision that encompasses far more than this life. We have what is necessary for our exaltation.”

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, exaltation refers to the highest form of salvation. After the Resurrection, people can live in God’s presence with their families and receive a fullness of joy.

For President Eyring, the Paris Temple was a way to “create a generation of French speakers deeply devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ and prepared to bring the gospel to the world,” Elder Caussé said.

The focus on Christ permeates the temple, he added, and people outside the faith take note.

“There is such connection between Jesus Christ and the temple,” he said. “Of course, all the ordinances that we perform in the temple are in the name of Jesus Christ. These are covenants we make with Jesus Christ. But also for our friends, people not of our faith, when they come to the grounds here, the first thing they will see is that statue of Jesus Christ, and it will be for them a confirmation that our Church, our religion, is all about Christ.”

“I know many people,” he added, “who were converted or felt the Spirit just by coming here and realizing that Christ is in the center of our religion.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has around 500,000 members in Europe. At various general conferences in recent years, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to build 10 temples in various locales throughout Europe.

• Vienna, Austria
• Budapest, Hungary
• Brussels, Belgium
• Hamburg, Germany
• Dublin, Ireland
• Milan, Italy
• Oslo, Norway
• Porto, Portugal
• Edinburgh, Scotland
• Barcelona, Spain
• Birmingham, United Kingdom

Three of these, the Brussels Belgium, Budapest Hungary and Birmingham England Temple have started construction. 

In addition to attending the temple for personal spiritual growth, Latter-day Saints serve as volunteers. They welcome visitors and assist those attending services.

Elder Caussé’s visit to the Paris Temple shows the importance of the house of the Lord in his testimony and that of its members. With significant growth of the Church worldwide — including in Europe — temple construction is accelerating.