Rome Italy Temple under construction, 10 years following its announcement in 2008. The LDS church announced the dedication will be in March 2019. (Mormon Newsroom)
The Rome Italy Temple finally has a dedication date, Mar. 10, 2019, over 10 years removed from its initial announcement in October 2008.
The first LDS temple in Italy, located in northeast Rome near the Grande Raccordo Anulare, will be open to the public for a free open house from Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, to Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019.
The formal dedication will come almost one month later over a week span between Mar. 10 and Mar. 17, 2019.
'We are thrilled to be able to dedicate a temple in this city replete with historical importance throughout the ages,” said President Russell M. Nelson.
The announcement of the temple and its subsequent construction has been met with celebration and awe from church members, who revere Rome as a historical landmark from the Bible, where apostles such as Peter and Paul preached in the New Testament.
The groundbreaking for the three-story, 40,000-square-foot building occurred on Oct. 23, 2010, led by President Thomas S. Monson, along with local community and church leaders.
The temple will form part of a 15-acre religious and cultural center that will include a multifunctional meetinghouse, a visitors’ center, a family history center and housing for visitors.
The temple will serve over 23,000 Church members living in Italy and in neighboring countries. Currently there are 159 operating temples worldwide, including 12 in Europe.
'Mormon temples differ from churches where members meet for Sunday worship services,' the church said in a press release. 'Temples are considered 'houses of the Lord' where the teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ceremonies that unite families for eternity.'
For more information about the purpose of temples and their importance to Latter-day Saints, please visit www.mormonnewsroom.org/topic/temples.
For more information about the Rome Italy Temple, please go to http://www.media-mormoni.it/articolo/tempio-di-roma.