A look at some of the world's oldest religious leaders

The supreme leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is celebrating a milestone birthday: his 100th birthday.

Like the president of the Utah-based denomination, commonly known as the Mormon Church, leaders of other religions around the world often stay at the top well beyond normal retirement age.

The Latter-day Saints count

-100

Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will turn 100 on September 9, 2024.

-1924

This is Nelson's birth year.

—By the end of the year, the church had 597,861 members.

—There were 1,685 municipalities in total.

—There were 25 missions.

-2024

This is Nelson's 100th birthday.

– Today there are about 17.3 million Latter-day Saints.

– Church membership has increased by 3.8% so far in 2024. Last year, Latter-day Saint membership increased by 1.5%.

—At the end of 2023, there were 31,490 municipalities.

—There are 450 missions.

-6

Six of the 15 men in the highest leadership bodies of the Mormon Church are 80 years or older: President Nelson (100), Dallin Oaks (92), Henry B. Eyring (91), Jeffrey Holland (83), Dieter Uchtdorf (83), Quentin Cook (84).

Consider other faith traditions

-99

Alexandre do Nascimento, Archbishop Emeritus of Luanda in Angola, is the oldest living Catholic cardinal. He was born on March 1, 1925.

-94

Ali al-Sistani, the Grand Ayatollah and supreme religious leader of the world's 200 million Shiite Muslims, is 94 years old.

-93

In the Catholic Church, Leo XIII was the longest-serving pope. He died in 1903 at the age of 93.

-89

The Dalai Lama, the head of Tibetan Buddhism, is 89 years old.

-87

Pope Francis, the current head of the Catholic Church, is 87 years old.

-84

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide, is 84 years old.

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