April 2, 2026
Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Post contributed by
Eastin Hartzell
Parents: Jean and Marie Blanche Bonnet Causse
Education: Earned equivalent of a Master's in Business Administration from ESSEC Business School with an emphasis in finance and marketing.
Wife: Valerie Badin
Married: Bern Switzerland Temple on Aug. 5, 1986
Children: 5 children
Military service: Conscripted service from 1985-86; served in NATO as a driver for a U.S. general.
Callings: Apostle, Presiding Bishop of the Church, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, General Authority Seventy and as a counselor in the Europe Area Presidency.
Sustained: Called November 6th, 2025, will be sustained April 4th, 2026.
Early Life and Education
Born on May 20, 1963, in Bordeaux, France, Elder Gérald Caussé was raised in a faithful with his parents joining the Church when he was a baby.1 He is a classically trained pianist, a passion that has remained a hallmark of his personal life. He earned a master’s degree in business from the ESSEC Business School in Paris.2
Family and Personal Life
In 1986, he married Valérie Babin in the Bern Switzerland Temple.3 Together, they have fostered a home where music and the gospel are inextricably linked.4 He told Church Newsroom, "This language [of music] transcends every culture. You don’t need to know the language of the people to communicate with them through music. I've always viewed music as a way to communicate with God and to feel the Spirit.”
The Caussés are the parents of five children.
Stewardship of the Earth
Elder Caussé served as the Presiding Bishop from 2015 to 2026. While he oversaw the Church’s vast temporal operations, one of his most distinctive contributions was his focus on environmental stewardship.
He addressed this in his October 2022 General Conference talk, "Our Earthly Stewardship," teaching that:
He taught that the care of the earth is a spiritual requirement, not just a social or political issue.
He emphasized that as beneficiaries of God's creations, members have a duty to avoid overconsumption and to treat natural resources with reverence.
He led initiatives within the Church to improve water conservation at meetinghouses, increase energy efficiency in temples, and implement sustainable farming practices on Church-owned lands.
"I testify that great spiritual blessings are promised to those who love and care for the earth and their fellow men and women. As you stay faithful in this sacred stewardship and honor your eternal covenants, you will grow in the knowledge of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ, and you will feel Their love and Their influence more abundantly in your life. All this will prepare you to dwell with Them and receive additional creative power in the life to come."5
- 1. https://www.thechurchnews.com/2019/4/15/23214964/gerald-causee-presiding-bishop-2019/
- 2. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/gerald-j-causse?lang=eng
- 3. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/gerald-causse-called-quorum-of-the-twelve-apostles
- 4. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-causse-news-media
- 5. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/31causse?lang=eng