In a new Church News video, President Russell M. Nelson describes the difficult decision to temporarily close the temples due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said, “Only in our temples do we receive the highest blessings that God has in store for His faithful children.”

President Nelson explained, “How difficult was it to make the decision to close the temples? That was painful; it was wracked with worry. “I found myself asking, ‘What would I say to the Prophet Joseph Smith? What would I say to Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, and the other presidents on up to President Thomas S. Monson? I’m going to meet them soon.’ To close the temples would deny all for which all those Brethren gave everything, but we really had no other alternative.”

President Nelson then says that fortunately the closures are only temporary. In the video, he and his wife describe some of the ways temple work has moved forward amid the pandemic.