Gerald Causse
Bishop Gérald Caussé was named the Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 9, 2015. Prior to this assignment, he was sustained as first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric during General Conference in March 2012. He is the third presiding bishop born outside the United States. The Presiding Bishopric oversees many of the day-to-day operations of the Church, such as the construction and maintenance of buildings around the world.
He was the first person from France to become a general authority, when he was called to be a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy in 2008. He was serving as a counselor in the Europe Area Presidency at the time of this calling.
Bishop Caussé was born in 1963 in Bordeaux, France, where his parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ when he was six months old. He and his wife, Valérie, were married on 5 August 1986 in the Bern Switzerland Temple. They are the parents of five children.
In an article in the Church News, “Example was Set: Service is a Means to Testimony,” May 12, 2012, Bishop Caussé credits his father and the experiences he had in their tiny branch for the testimony he has today. Besides Aaronic Priesthood quorum assignments, when he was 12 years old he was the Primary pianist, and at 16, he became the Sunday School president.
He said that when he was a youth, his father, who was the branch president, took him home teaching and to visit those in need. He explained the impact his father had:
- Watching him was probably the best learning experience in preparing for priesthood leadership . . . By giving service, we follow the example of Jesus Christ. We feel more love in our hearts, and our hearts begin to transform to be more like His.
- And when we receive service from others we feel the love of Christ and of God our Eternal Father for us.
From those early days, Bishop Caussé has continued to serve in numerous church positions, but never as a bishop—before now. Before becoming a general authority, he had been a ward clerk, elders quorum president, high priest group leader, bishop's counselor, stake president's counselor, and stake president.
Bishop Caussé served in the French Air Force for one year and received a master’s degree in Business from École Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (ESSEC). Until 2008 he was the general manager of Pomona, France’s largest food distributor. He also worked as the director of logistics for the Carrefour group, an international grocery retail firm.
