Moroni Bing Torgan, 52, gained notoriety in his native Brazil for his integrity in government service, and was referred to as the highest-ranking Latter-day Saint when he was appointed state secretary of public security. The superlatives continued, calling Torgan the youngest to hold the law-enforcement post when he was appointed in 1987 at the age of 31.
Torgan is currently serving the church as president of the Portugal Lisbon Mission with his wife, Rosa Christina De Caldas Torgan. They have been in the mission field since July.
He was profiled by the LDS Church News in 1989 while he was serving as president of the Brazil Fortaleza Stake, a calling he received at age 29.
"This is the most difficult responsibility I have ever had," he told the Church News. "We have great challenges ahead of us in law enforcement." Torgan had a particularly strong reputation for his effectiveness as a crime fighter, especially in the arena of drug-related crimes.
A fourth-generation Latter-day Saint, he is not modest about his church membership, which surfaces frequently in his high-profile post, the Church News continued.
At the time of his mission call, Torgan was a counselor in the Brazil Brasilia Mission presidency and listed his occupation as a consultant to the Federal Senate, Brazilian Federal Police.
Young Torgan attended Protestant and Catholic schools and placed high academically. As a youth, he was on the national championship volleyball team, and later served in the Brazil Sao Paulo North Mission. After graduating from law school, he ranked third among all the attorneys in the state. He graduated in 1982 from the Federal University of South Rio Grande.