Mormon women ask to lead prayers at conference

FILE PHOTO: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings during the faithful's semi-annual general conference Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – A group of Mormon women is trying to persuade church leaders to let women lead the opening and closing prayer at the church’s general conference.

This is the same group that urged women to wear pants to church last month to raise awareness about what they perceive as gender inequality in the Mormon culture.

Women regularly give speeches during the general conference and can pray in the audience but have never led the opening and closing prayers. The group is calling the letter-writing campaign, “Let Women Pray.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is scheduled to hold its next general conference April 6-7 in Salt Lake City.

Church spokesman Eric Hawkins says decisions on people leading prayers were made several weeks ago but haven’t been made public.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!