Glenn L. Pace
Encyclopedia
Glenn Leroy Pace has been a general authority
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1985. He as served as a member of the presiding bishopric
and the First Quorum of Seventy and in 2010 became an emeritus general authority. He is known for having investigated accusations of ritualistic child abuse
in the LDS Church in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
.
He worked for two "big eight" financial firms and as a CFO of a land development firm. Pace began working as the welfare services manager in 1980. Among other assignments while in this position Pace accompanied M. Russell Ballard
on a trip to Ethiopia
in early 1985 to determine what assistance the church could provide in providing famine relief.
, Utah
to Latter-day Saint parents, Pace has been affiliated with the LDS Church all his life. He was baptized at the age of eight years old. He served as a missionary
for the LDS Church in the New England
States Mission
from 1960–62.
Pace worked full time as the director of welfare services for the church for several years prior to his call as a general authority.
In a church service capacity Pace has served as an elders quorum president, counselor in a bishopric, and stake clerk early in his adulthood. He also served as the first president
of the Australia
Sydney
North Mission of the church in 1992, while he was a general authority in the First Quorum of Seventy.
Pace became the second counselor to Presiding Bishop
Robert D. Hales
in 1985. In 1992, Pace was released from this position and became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In 1997 and 1998, he was a member of the general presidency of the church's Sunday School
and from 2001 to 2003 he was in the general presidency of the Young Men organization.
On October 2, 2010, Pace was released and given emeritus status at the LDS church's semi-annual General conference.
, Pace wrote an internal memorandum to the church's Strengthening Church Members Committee
about his investigations into sixty alleged incidents of ritualized child abuse among Latter-day Saints in Utah
, Idaho
, California
, Mexico
, and elsewhere. Pace concluded that he believed the allegations and that he suspected parents and other members were participating in ritualized child abuse.
In 1991, the Utah State Legislature
appropriated $250,000 for the Attorney General's office to investigate these allegations. The investigators interviewed hundreds of alleged victims, but they were "unable to substantiate with physical evidence the incidents reported". The 1995 report added that the specific accusations against church leaders were "absurd", and the head of psychiatry at LDS Hospital
in Salt Lake City said he "has never been able to independently verify memories of satanic ritual abuse".
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1985. He as served as a member of the presiding bishopric
Presiding Bishop (LDS Church)
The Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a priesthood calling with church-wide authority. The Presiding Bishop is the highest leadership position within the church's Aaronic priesthood.-Presiding Bishopric:...
and the First Quorum of Seventy and in 2010 became an emeritus general authority. He is known for having investigated accusations of ritualistic child abuse
Satanic ritual abuse
Satanic ritual abuse refers to the abuse of a person or animal in a ritual setting or manner...
in the LDS Church in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Education
Pace holds bachelors and masters degrees in accounting from Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
.
Employment
Prior to becoming a general authority Pace worked for several years as the general manager of the LDS Church Welfare program. However prior to this he spent several years working in major financial positions in many for-profit companies.He worked for two "big eight" financial firms and as a CFO of a land development firm. Pace began working as the welfare services manager in 1980. Among other assignments while in this position Pace accompanied M. Russell Ballard
M. Russell Ballard
Melvin Russell Ballard, Jr. is an American businessman and a religious leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was called to serve in the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1985. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Ballard is accepted by the church members as a...
on a trip to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
in early 1985 to determine what assistance the church could provide in providing famine relief.
Church service
Born in ProvoProvo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
to Latter-day Saint parents, Pace has been affiliated with the LDS Church all his life. He was baptized at the age of eight years old. He served as a missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
for the LDS Church in the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
States Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
from 1960–62.
Pace worked full time as the director of welfare services for the church for several years prior to his call as a general authority.
In a church service capacity Pace has served as an elders quorum president, counselor in a bishopric, and stake clerk early in his adulthood. He also served as the first president
Mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
of the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
North Mission of the church in 1992, while he was a general authority in the First Quorum of Seventy.
Pace became the second counselor to Presiding Bishop
Presiding Bishop (LDS Church)
The Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a priesthood calling with church-wide authority. The Presiding Bishop is the highest leadership position within the church's Aaronic priesthood.-Presiding Bishopric:...
Robert D. Hales
Robert D. Hales
Robert Dean Hales is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Currently, he is the eighth most senior apostle among the ranks of the Church...
in 1985. In 1992, Pace was released from this position and became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In 1997 and 1998, he was a member of the general presidency of the church's Sunday School
Sunday School (LDS Church)
Sunday School is an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . All members of the church and any interested nonmembers, age 12 and older, are encouraged to participate in Sunday School.-Purpose:...
and from 2001 to 2003 he was in the general presidency of the Young Men organization.
On October 2, 2010, Pace was released and given emeritus status at the LDS church's semi-annual General conference.
Ritualistic child abuse investigation
In July 1990, when he was a member of the LDS Church's presiding bishopricPresiding Bishop (LDS Church)
The Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a priesthood calling with church-wide authority. The Presiding Bishop is the highest leadership position within the church's Aaronic priesthood.-Presiding Bishopric:...
, Pace wrote an internal memorandum to the church's Strengthening Church Members Committee
Strengthening Church Members Committee
The Strengthening Church Members Committee is a committee of general authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who monitor the publications of church members for possible criticism of local and general leaders of the church...
about his investigations into sixty alleged incidents of ritualized child abuse among Latter-day Saints in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and elsewhere. Pace concluded that he believed the allegations and that he suspected parents and other members were participating in ritualized child abuse.
In 1991, the Utah State Legislature
Utah State Legislature
The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 Representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 State Senators...
appropriated $250,000 for the Attorney General's office to investigate these allegations. The investigators interviewed hundreds of alleged victims, but they were "unable to substantiate with physical evidence the incidents reported". The 1995 report added that the specific accusations against church leaders were "absurd", and the head of psychiatry at LDS Hospital
LDS Hospital
LDS Hospital is a general urban hospital and surgical center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The hospital was originally owned by the LDS Church but is now owned and operated by Intermountain Healthcare...
in Salt Lake City said he "has never been able to independently verify memories of satanic ritual abuse".
Books
Pace has written three books:- Spiritual Plateaus (Deseret BookDeseret BookDeseret Book is the largest Latter-day Saint book publisher and also owns a chain of LDS bookstores in the western United States. Over 150 people work in its Salt Lake City headquarters...
, 1991), about three plateaus Latter-day Saints face: testimony, sanctification, and spiritual graduate school. - Spiritual Revival (Deseret BookDeseret BookDeseret Book is the largest Latter-day Saint book publisher and also owns a chain of LDS bookstores in the western United States. Over 150 people work in its Salt Lake City headquarters...
,1993). - Safe Journey: An African Adventure (Shadow Mountain, 2003), about his various journeys in AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, many of which were connected with the operations of the LDS Humanitarian ServicesLDS Humanitarian ServicesLDS Humanitarian Services is a branch of the Welfare Services department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
.