Noting the absence of President Ezra Taft Benson, who is recuperating in the hospital, President Gordon B. Hinckley opened the 160th Semiannual General Conference by expressing the prophet's gratitude to Church members worldwide for their faith and prayers in his behalf.

It was the first time that President Benson did not attend conference since he became president of the Church in November 1985.The 91-year-old prophet is recovering at LDS Hospital from two surgeries to remove blood clots from inside his skull and for gastrointestinal bleeding unrelated to the surgeries.

Conducting the first session of conference Saturday morning, Oct. 6, President Hinckley said that although the prophet would be unable to attend any of the sessions, he would watch the proceedings on television in his hospital room.

President Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency, spoke in behalf of President Benson in the opening session. President Thomas S. Monson, second counselor in the First Presidency, spoke in the prophet's behalf in the closing session.

During the conference, two members of the Second Quorum of the Seventy were released, and a new Young Men general presidency and a new counselor in the Sunday School general presidency were sustained.

Released after 5 1/2 years of service as General Authorities were Elder Waldo P. Call, a native of Colonia Juarez, Mexico, and Elder Helio R. Camargo, a native of Resende, Brazil. They were called to the Seventy in April 1985.

Both were recently called as temple presidents. Elder Call is serving as president of the Mexico City Temple, and Elder Camargo as president of the Sao Paulo Temple in Brazil.

Sustained as the new Young Men general president was Elder Jack H. Goaslind, with Elder LeGrand R. Curtis and Elder Robert K. Dellenbach as counselors. Elder H. Verlan Andersen was sustained as second counselor in the Sunday School general presidency.

(See page 4 for more information about the new callings and releases.)

President Hinckley and President Monson took turns conducting the conference, which included two general sessions Saturday and Sunday, plus a priesthood session Saturday evening.

All General Authorities attended the conference, except President Benson and Elders Derek A. Cuthbert and Clinton L. Cutler of the Seventy, who were excused because of illness.

Conference was a spiritual feast, with Church leaders delivering 33 addresses, many focusing on such topics as the Savior, His life and teachings; the restored gospel; testimony and prayer; and personal purity and repentance.

The addresses of Church leaders were translated into 32 languages, including Russian for the first time. All sessions of the conference, which originated in the Tabernacle on Temple Square, were televised via satellite to more than 3,000 Church buildings throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

In addition, all sessions except the priesthood session were transmitted via satellite to more than 500 cable television systems in the United States. In areas of the world where Church units could not receive satellite transmissions, videotapes of the proceedings will be sent later.

Thousands filled the Tabernacle for the conference sessions. Many hoped Utah's unseasonably warm weather would last through conference weekend. However, temperatures plunged from summer-like 82 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday, Oct. 5, to 53 degrees at the time conference convened the next morning at 10 a.m. Temperatures dipped even further the next day, registering 46 degrees when conference got underway on Sunday.

Though temperatures plunged, Temple Square still had the look of late summer or early autumn as thousands of flowers bloomed at their peak of splendid colors.