This is the World Report of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, October 2012. Coming up: Curiosity over the Church and its beliefs sees a level of interest as never before. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Twelve travels to the heart of higher learning to explain to honest minds what it means to be a Mormon. Plus, we take you to Italy's marble peaks, where the stone that endures for generations is cut and shaped to symbolize the resurrected Christ. [MUSIC - "I THINK THE WORLD IS GLORIOUS"] (SINGING) But first, it was a birthday present of music and song the whole night through for President Monson's 85th birthday celebration held the evening of Friday, August 17th, at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City.

It was also a family affair. President Monson was joined by his wife of 63 years, Frances, and their extended family and thousands of guests to honor the 16th President of the Church. The night's program was guided by former football star Steve Young and network news anchor Jane Clayson. Good evening and welcome to a celebration of life in honor of the 85th birthday of President Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dear to the heart of President Monson are the Boy Scouts, who helped open the night when they marched down the aisles, flags on display. Later, images of President Monson's life of service to the Church, to his family, and to his community were set to music, stepping back through the years and weaving together a tribute that harmonized with the theme of President Monson's life, "Golden Days: A Celebration of Life." Special musical numbers were performed by musical theater headliners Rebecca Luker and Dallyn Vail Bayles and tenor Stanford Olsen, all to the accompaniment of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of President Monson's birthday celebration was the viewing of his original remarks during general conference of October 1963, when he accepted the lifelong call to the apostleship at age 36. I pledge my life, all that I may have. I will strive to the utmost of my ability to be what you would want me to be. It's a university you could easily say is a household name.

And it's helping to explore the religion of a people that have found their faith in the news more than ever before. I confess, I did not believe I would live to see the day that taxicabs in Times Square would be scurrying about with taxi toppers saying "See the Book of Mormon." At the invitation of students and the school they attend, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles traveled to the American Northeast and to Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in late March to talk with students about the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Inside Harvard's historic Langdell Hall, Elder Holland spoke on a host of topics related to the rise of the Church in the modern age. But he began with the very origins of the Church itself in the early 1800s. So what brings me to you today is not a message of reformation but of restoration--the restoration of that Church Christ established by His hand in the meridian of time and which He has reestablished by His hand in the present time. Elder Holland explained how the Restoration uniquely revealed details about the nature of God, Christ's ministry, and God's plan for His children. Thus we teach that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are separate and distinct beings with glorified bodies of flesh and bone. After his remarks, Elder Holland answered the questions of students, many of whom attend Harvard to study law. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is more committed than any religious institution I know of to the dignity and standing and worth and merit and glory of a woman in any way that I know to say it to you. To watch all of Elder Holland's remarks at Harvard University or to read the full transcript of his talk, you can log on to mormonnewsroom.org and enter the word "Harvard" in the search box.

I love most the people--the warmth, the genuineness, their eagerness to learn, and their faithfulness. Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles finds the words that best express his impressions of Latter-day Saints during a May visit to southern Mexico. He traveled to see members and missionaries alike, making stops in Mexico City, Monterrey, [INAUDIBLE] Tuxtla, and San Cristobal. When you stand at that pulpit and look at that vast congregation of people, so eager to learn and who face a variety of challenges in their lives, you can see nothing but good for the future of the Church in Mexico. Elder Bednar encouraged these Latter-day Saints to act as agents for good, learn from the scriptures of the Church, and be a center of strength in Mexico. In the faces of the people, you see the countenance of the Savior. It's reflected in their eyes, in their smiles, in their simple, sweet, earnest testimonies. And that strengthens me. It was a moment never to be forgotten. You could feel a wave of enthusiasm, and the hands shot up to approve the proposition. It was an experience I'll always remember. In late May, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Twelve was joined by Elders Donald L. Hallstrom and Anthony D. Perkins of the Seventy in addressing thousands of members in Hyderabad, India, as he organized the Hyderabad India Stake, the first stake in this country. The spirit among the people on the creation of this stake was more than happiness. It was exultation. They are mature enough to know what a significant step it is for a country to have the first stake. They saw this as a step toward a temple, and they were rejoicing all the way. It's the happiest moment that we have a stake in India. And after 10 or 12 or 15 years, we'll have a temple. The Hyderabad Stake includes six districts and nearly 10,000 Latter-day Saints. During Elder Oaks's stay in India and other memorable stops in the Far East, he met with local Church leaders and was impressed by their preparedness and spirituality. On this whole trip to Asia, we were heartened by the remarkable growth of the Church. Whether Singapore, Cambodia, Hong Kong, or India, we see the Church growing steadily with the members developing in their faith and their maturity. At the conclusion of the conference, Elder Oaks expressed gratitude to the nation of India for allowing Latter-day Saints to meet and speak of Church principles and doctrines. This is the frontier for the Church. In June, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles traveled throughout eastern Europe and the Middle East, visiting with congregations in Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey. While there, Elder Christofferson presided at leadership meetings and included time in Istanbul, Turkey, a country bordered by the Aegean Sea. Here, it's a vibrant place. It's a vibrant society. It's growing. There's a lot of business, a lot of activity, a lot of coming and going. Elder Christofferson visited historical sites and met with members and missionaries, encouraging them to follow the example of Jesus Christ and reassuring them of their individual importance in moving the work of the Church forward. Maybe it was a revelation, but I knew it was the word of God. I was sure about it. The Church undertook missionary efforts in Turkey in 1884, and by 1889 Latter-day Saints had organized a small congregation. In recent decades four small congregations have been established, the first of which was organized in Ankara in 1975. Today the Church in Turkey is still growing and becoming more significant for the preaching of the gospel to all the world. Turkey is becoming more and more influential. I believe that as the Church becomes firmly rooted here, it will be a foundation, a basis for moving outward into other places where we have little or no presence at the current time. It's an interesting beginning, isn't it? My dear brothers and sisters, I cannot adequately convey to you the joy I feel on this historic occasion. With regard to the temple which will be built upon this site, it means everything. To Latter-day Saints, it unites families here and in eternity. President Thomas S. Monson lends his voice to express the overflowing happiness of Latter-day Saints in Italy on the day ground was broken for the Rome Temple.

That event was nearly two years ago. Today the construction of the Rome Temple is well underway. The scaffolding that rises up to greet a busy suburban neighborhood that surrounds the temple site is hard to miss. But there is one very unique feature to the temple grounds that is yet to be seen: the Christus statue and all of the Apostles of Christ's time that will one day soon stand inside the Rome Temple Visitors' Center. The Christus is one of the more enduring symbols of faith found within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is displayed in many Church visitors' centers. The original was sculpted in Rome by Danish master Bertel Thorvaldsen and was completed in the early 1800s. Today Thorvaldsen's Christus, along with the Twelve Apostles, graces the interior of the Church of Our Lady, the national cathedral in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was here in Copenhagen that the Church and its project team were granted access to these statues in order to digitally map every detail of Thorvaldsen's work. And what comes next is a remarkable blend of art and technology to recreate these masterpieces nearly 200 years later in the very country where they were originally sculpted. Later in the World Report, we'll take you to the mountains of Carrara, Italy, into the caves of marble where one artist so long ago found the stone that seems to symbolize so well the Light of Christ. Straight ahead: The faith of Latter-day Saints in Latin America is found anew with the dedication of a temple along the shores of the Amazon River. Plus, Brigham City and Kansas City take center stage. These stories and more as new temples are dedicated and more temple construction gets underway.

Few events among Latter-day Saints draw greater enthusiasm and reverence than the dedication of a temple. It's an amazing thing to have a temple in the Kansas City area and that we can visit all the time when we feel like. In the heart of the American Midwest and in a state where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints established some of its earliest roots more than 160 years ago, members and their friends in and around Kansas City, Missouri, gathered to see a fresh result of their faith--the completion and dedication of their most sacred house of worship--and hear Church President Thomas S. Monson address them. As we've watched the temple we built, now to see it finally finished and to have the prophet come and dedicate it is a big thrill for us. The community's embrace is a welcomed event when Mormon temples are built, and on this occasion brought with it the opportunity for people of all faiths to cheer a youth-driven cultural celebration on the eve of the temple dedication, held at the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium.

The performances of the night took up the theme of reaching out, "Of One Heart in the Heartland," which was championing the cause of rebuilding communities that were deeply wounded by recent tornadoes. It was amazing to see 3,000 youth all of the same standards, all standing together, believing in the same thing. Definitely worth it. I wouldn't have traded this for anything. I'm going to remember this for the rest of my life. A lot of tears, a lot of happy squeals. I saw some of my girls hugging each other, jumping up and down. For the youth and their families, the evening's highlight was to hear the prophet of the Church address them.

The stately and magnificent Kansas City Temple in a lovely part of the country--really the heartland of America--will be dedicated in the morning. It is, of course, the reason for this great celebration. It will shine as a beacon of righteousness to all who will follow its light--the light of the gospel, the light of the Savior. And on Sunday morning, May 6, President Monson greeted still more families and guests during a special cornerstone ceremony held just before the dedication of the Kansas City Missouri Temple. Hello, kids. How you doing? I like that tie, Tiger. I was hoping one of my grandchildren could help with the cornerstone, and here it was me. Oh, thank you. Where's your camera? Take a picture. Best yet! I couldn't believe it. I think that the best thing for us will be, the boys can see us going more regularly to the temple, and they'll know that the temple is something important to us as a family and something that hopefully they will look forward to going to as well. To one family and to many, the newly dedicated Kansas City Missouri Temple will be served by nearly 50,000 Latter-day Saints in Missouri, Kansas, and portions of Oklahoma and Arkansas. As if to reflect time served in the mission field, two years of awe-inspiring temple building in Brigham City come to a close as the doors open to the public in August this past summer, offering four weeks of tours during an open house to the public. And finally, on Sunday, September 23, the Brigham City Utah Temple is dedicated, the 14th temple in Utah and the 139th for the worldwide Church. The formal dedication ceremony was held during three special sessions conducted by Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The Brigham City Utah Temple is especially dear to the heart of President Packer. The senior member of the Twelve was born and raised in this quiet community some 60 miles north of Salt Lake City, and President Packer broke ground for the Brigham City Utah Temple on July 31, 2010, several months after the temple plans were announced during the Saturday morning session of general conference in October 2009. It was hard watching the building going up in flames and remembering all the concerts and the time spent with my family here. Sometimes sudden misfortune can actually set a course for a much better day. And that was the message carried by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Twelve on the morning of Saturday, May 12, in Provo, Utah. When the storms of life swirl around us, we still build temples, and we're going to build one in the heart of Provo, Utah. And I love the symbolism of that for the Saints who live here and who are gathered before my eyes this day. Elder Holland spoke before an outdoor audience of thousands who came to watch the groundbreaking for what will be the Provo City Center Temple. The historic building, formerly known as the Provo Tabernacle, caught fire in December 2010. That tragic event left the future prospects of the building to great uncertainty. But for Latter-day Saints and residents who live nearby, their sorrow over the devastating blaze has now turned to joy and anticipation. We came to sit here today, and I didn't know this was our temple district. I just thought, what a great experience--to come see the groundbreaking and have it announced that this is our temple district just felt like, wow. This is our temple. I was very surprised, because we already had a temple here in Provo. But I know that there are a lot of good people here, so it's going to be full all day, I think so. In the remote rainforest region of Brazil, there lies a bustling city that utilizes its massive waterway to carry goods along the early stretches of the Amazon River. And in early June, the river carried many excited Latter-day Saints to its port city of Manaus. Here, where the Negro and Solimoes Rivers meet, the Manaus Brazil Temple is now open after three long years of construction and joyful anticipation. Many, many thanks to all who are participating today. Now let's go forward and finish the work. You see, your parents will be proud of you. And so it was, as children of the region gathered around President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency to set the temple's cornerstone, which is symbolic of the temple's dedication. Thank you so much.

The dedication of a Latter-day Saint temple brings communities together to celebrate the cultural and religious heritage that plays such an important role in establishing a temple as a place of reverence among the people.

Such was the case in Manaus as Latter-day Saint youth performed in front of thousands the day before the temple's dedication.

The Manaus Brazil Temple is the sixth in that country, serving some 40,000 temple-going members throughout 80 congregations in the Amazonas region. Still to come: Pioneer Day brings a special guest to the Conference Center and a surprise discovery for headliner Katherine Jenkins and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. [MUSIC - "YOU WILL NEVER WALK ALONE"] (SINGING) You will never walk alone.

When it comes to the deepest feelings of the human heart, there are few expressions that can capture the range of emotions and spiritual yearnings better than music and song. [MUSIC] (SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Renowned Welsh mezzo soprano Katherine Jenkins was the featured performer at this year's Joy of Song Pioneer Day Concert with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. [MUSIC] (SINGING} The July concert at the Conference Center opened with a salute to the Mormon pioneers who settled the Salt Lake Valley, and paid tribute to the concert's theme with images and sound by choir director Mack Wilberg and Grammy Award-winning composer David Foster doing their best to demonstrate their own feelings about music. But for the star of the night, Katherine Jenkins, the love of music is practically hereditary, both for her and many members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I've been doing a little digging, and I've learned that the earliest members of this magnificent choir also come from Wales. If any of you have any Welsh ancestry, would you please raise your hand? Oh! Hello, cousins. [MUSIC] (SINGING) Ms. Jenkins is already known for being one of the most prolific classical crossover artists in the world, but for many in the audience, she's most recognized as a top contender on network television's Dancing with the Stars. And to the delight of the audience, she performed a special number with her dance partner, Mark Ballas, who flew in so the pair could dance the pasodoble to the music of Espana Cani.

One performance highlight came after the recorded remarks of David Foster, who composed and arranged "The Prayer." When all is said and done, there's a piece of music that will undoubtedly outlive me.

It was a moment. That song was a moment for sure. [MUSIC - THE PRAYER] (SINGING) I pray Thee be our eyes and watch us where we go.

There's something about music, especially when it's set with words that can make the hairs in your arm stand up, can make you feel something so deeply, can move you to tears or make you laugh.

Nauvoo, Illinois: for Latter-day Saints who know their Church history, the frontier city they established on the Mississippi River and were later driven from in 1846. Nauvoo remains forever a picture of their past and a gleaming example of hope and renewal in the years ahead. Part of that optimism is found at the center of downtown, with Nauvoo's latest arrival, a new family history center. A family history center was considered almost like a front porch of a temple. It's actually part of the temple process. And located right across from the temple, it makes it a lot more accessible than we had it before. The center is actually located in the renovated Raymond Clark store, which dates back to the days when Nauvoo was an original settlement. Once inside the historic building, family searchers like Mary Birnbaum make strides connecting family history with the help of some very modern high-speed computers and microfilm displays. Families are really important, and bringing our families together. People that we know in our family and don't know in our family, linking them together and learning about your history--it tells about who you are as a person as well. But the work doesn't stop with family history. The old store is also used as a visitors' center for the Nauvoo Temple. Joy Price has a strong sense of her role as a service missionary. She's a great-granddaughter of Raymond Clark. It's just humbling to me to be here where they sacrificed so much for the gospel and walk where they walked and just be a part of the spirit here in Nauvoo. Globally, the Church operates 4,600 centers like these, which are all linked to the largest family history collection on earth: the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. When we come back: The cause of religious freedom brings some of the faithful together at Notre Dame. Plus, fire tears through this mountain west town, but the community bands together and notes a miracle after the heartache.

It's back to school in September for Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Twelve at the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

As a former dean of the Chicago Law School and a former Utah Supreme Court justice, Elder Oaks was invited to Notre Dame to serve as a panelist with several other distinguished guests, which included author and pastor Rick Warren; the Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, Archbishop of Louisville; and Rabbi David Saperstein, among others, in a forum discussion held September 4 titled "Conviction and Compromise: Being a Person of Faith in a Liberal Democracy." I want to support a person for public office that has something higher than their own self-interest by which they believe they will be judged. And next I want a person of integrity. And I'm glad to measure integrity by how well a person adheres to their own system of belief, whatever that is. The thing that people will see, though, very clearly, is the effect that the richness of religious practice has on the life of a society. With his earlier career and scholarly work centered on constitutional law, Elder Oaks is often asked to contribute in forums like these that explore how religious freedoms shape our political processes and public debate.

The Church has experienced an unusual amount of commentary and news coverage in print and broadcast media this year, with a great deal of interest developing from the presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney. For the first time in American history, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been nominated by a major party to run for the office of president of the United States. Even so, the Church maintains its longstanding practice of political neutrality toward those seeking political office and does not endorse candidates of any party. Romney, a former Latter-day Saint missionary in France, is the former governor of Massachusetts and served as president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games in 2002. It's not every day the Church is paid a visit by the leader of the American Red Cross, but in the world of emergency response, you've got to be ready around the clock. I would like the public to know that we are more prepared than ever for when disaster strikes because of the relationship that we have with the LDS Church. Gail McGovern is the president and CEO of the American Red Cross. She arrived in Salt Lake City in June to see the Church's Welfare Square, which served as a backdrop for her visit renewing the 25-year humanitarian partnership between the Red Cross and the Church. But it also served as an opportunity to highlight the successes of a growing number of cosponsored blood drives. Every two seconds, someone in our country needs a blood transfusion. And time and time again, Church members have rolled up their sleeves to make life-saving donations, and that is such an act of generosity. The blood drives will soon be held at even more Church meetinghouses. It's a relationship that has been forged on several fronts, from disaster relief and emergency planning to millions of measles vaccinations administered overseas. Like a severe gust of wind you can't race for, a devastating brush fire pushed through the picturesque hillside community of Pocatello in southeastern Idaho, catching many off guard and burning nearly 70 homes, many right down to their foundations.

Fires in the American West this past summer were too numerous to list. States like Utah, Arizona, and Colorado were especially hard hit, and Idaho was no exception. Within days of the Pocatello fire, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in a multi-faith effort, sent resources to the eager hands of Church volunteers and their friends on the morning of Saturday, July 14, when more than 1,000 yellow-vested Helping Hands volunteers met early at the town's high school to suit up and clear out. Whenever you see something like this happen, it really unites the people, the community, which I think is wonderful. Maybe differences are forgotten about. And so it's just been an overwhelming united effort to try and help, to make sure that everybody was taken care of. It looks like you're getting dirty. Rising above the mountain valley town, the path of the fire and the work ahead is easy to see. And so are the losses sustained. John McKay, a longtime resident in Pocatello, surveys the enormity of what the blaze took of his home and his possessions. As a man of another faith, he was nevertheless comforted to a degree by the outreach of the Church volunteers who came to check on him and begin the long task of restoring his property. Didn't know what I was going to expect to find when I hit the Century High School this morning, because it was just people all over. God bless you.

I thank everybody in the community for having reached out to us. For Henry and Beth [? Stan, ?] the sight of Helping Hands volunteers was reassuring even though their home did not survive the flame. As an outsider looking in on the Church, the greatest asset is its strength in community. And I recognize that. A lot of the stuff can be replaced. A lot of it was five generations of family heirlooms that we were the keepers of to pass on to our generations to come, and that hurts a little bit because that stuff's not really recoverable. But overall there is a miraculous aspect of the terrible fire that ripped through Pocatello. That point is not lost when Kenneth Stucki reflects on what happened and what the city was spared from. That was one of the great miracles that took place. There was no injury or loss of life. That was a great miracle. The nature of the fire, the speed with which it burned, the area, the time of day, the time of year, there were a lot of young children at home--and someone, whether there was a neighbor--someone was aware; everybody got out. And they were literally driving through the flames. When we return: From Copenhagen to Rome, part two in our special report of the Christus. And all eyes are on the UK for the Summer Olympics, but there was another attraction ready for visitors in central London. I know in Music and the Spoken Word, it talks about "from the crossroads of the West." London is the crossroads of the world. And for two weeks in July and August, London managed to elevate that distinction even more as the city hosted the Summer Games of the 30th Olympiad. While much of the sports world was keenly tuned in to the competition and culture of the Olympics, there was one particular location in central London with an invitation to passersby to stop and say hello. The Hyde Park Chapel and Visitors' Center on Exhibition Road has been renovated and reopened just weeks before the start of the Summer Games and with a message that helps the curious to know more about the origins of the restored Church right through the front doors. There are about 11 to 12 million people a year going up and down past these doors. And when you've got something to show them and share with them and bring them in, it's just a wonderful opportunity for us. But it didn't start out as an obvious place for a chapel, or a visitors' center for that matter, in the city. Exhibition Road is dominated by the Victoria and Albert Museum and the nearby Imperial College campus, both of which date back more than a century. When the Church, under the direction of President David O. McKay, acquired the land to construct a chapel in 1954, there wasn't a single member living within seven miles of the site. In those days, the property was a mere shell of itself, a bombed-out casualty left in ruins from World War II. How times have changed. I love London, and for me, not only London, but the Hyde Park Chapel itself is something that is so special. It's amazing that when you come here on a Sunday, you could be in the hustle and bustle, but you come here and you feel the Spirit. You build a relationship with the Savior, and for me, London is just the perfect place to live. It was 175 years ago when the very first converts in England were baptized. That milestone of faith is celebrated today in London's Hyde Park Chapel as 2,000 members attend a variety of Latter-day Saint services any given week, representing 115 nationalities. This is probably, culturally, the most diverse city in the entire world. So we think there's a higher purpose to all of that. People don't just come for education. They don't just come for work, for business. We think there are other reasons that are bringing people here. This is part of the street. Like I'm part of the street. That's part of the street. J. Osborne has been a central Londoner all his life and has been selling ice cream on this stretch of Exhibition Road near the chapel and visitors' center for 42 years. Every time someone walks in, they greet you with a smile. They just feel welcome as they go in. Whether they're Mormons, Jewish, Catholic, it doesn't matter. They just go in there and get greeted nicely. They're always pleasant, polite, and yeah, it's just a nice atmosphere down in there. And the work they've done in the Church, this revamp, is fabulous. The statue of Jesus Christ as you walk past, wow, you go. Brilliant. You've done a real great job, you guys. Carrara, Italy. This picturesque city, nestled between the Mediterranean shore to the west and the chalk-colored peaks to the east, has a storied past. And it's not just because of the natural beauty that surrounds it, or the mesmerizing historic architecture of the Tuscany region that people flock to see in central Italy.

For centuries the marble mountaintops of Carrara have supplied the gleaming vision of white stone to countless artists dating back to Roman times.

Earlier in this edition of the World Report, we told you about a special project underway to painstakingly duplicate sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen's original Christus and Apostle statues in Copenhagen, Denmark-- to recreate, by hand and machine, exact replicas that will be on permanent display in the Rome Temple Visitors' Center. But the new statues being crafted will have more than just an identical appearance. They will be cut from the very same marble quarry here in Carrara that provided Thorvaldsen with his original Christus stone nearly 200 years ago. [SPEAKING ITALIAN] It's so pure. It doesn't exist anywhere else in the world. Born in Carrara, Franco Barattini has been cutting stone from the Michelangelo Quarry from the time he was 12 years old. [SPEAKING ITALIAN] It's called Michelangelo marble because Michelangelo came here to get the marble for the Pieta.

From Michelangelo to Thorvaldsen to today, this quarry provides yet again, from this wall of white stone, the perfect raw material worthy of a masterpiece.

A short drive down the hill, the cut stone is measured to exactness to accommodate the full stature of the Christus and the Apostles.

Once that process is complete, the modified marble is brought to the TOR ART facility situated at the doorstep of the quarry. The shaped marble is ready for the most transformative step of all: being milled by computer-directed robotic machines that slowly begin to reveal the likeness and image of Christ. [SPEAKING ITALIAN] The works, the sculptures were always made for a spiritual reason. I can't tell you to what religion this spirituality belongs, because the world is so large and varied.

But before all the people of various backgrounds see the new Christus, Peter, and the rest of the Twelve Apostles at the Rome Visitors' Center, the finishing touches will be applied here at the studio of Michelangelo.

At this artist's workshop, under the direction of Luciano Massari, the final hand-finishing will be applied, ensuring that the finishing touches bring to life the impact of Thorvaldsen's original contribution to the Christian world. [SPEAKING ITALIAN] This project is very interesting because it is a collection so big and important and meaningful. We will not add anything more than that which we had found in our research. We will seek to give again the spirit--that portion of the soul that only the finished work of art can give. The day will soon come when the Rome Temple and its visitors' center will be completed--its projected finish, 2014--and when the actual day arises, a new beginning for the curious who come to see and hear what Latter-day Saints truly believe.

This has been the World Report of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, October 2012. To watch World Report online, you can log on to mormonnewsroom.org, or you can visit this website at videos.lds.org.