When asked if America is ready to elect a Latter-day Saint to serve as U.S. president — whether in the person of Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (whose name often has been mentioned) or another candidate — he noted that many believed years ago that American voters would never elect a Catholic.

"But that day came. I expect that day will come for a Mormon," he said.

When asked about the Utah Legislature's dominating LDS majority, President Faust said the church doesn't endorse political parties or candidates.

President Hinckley said rapid growth and providing the leadership training necessary to handle the number of people joining the LDS Church are the two major challenges he and his colleagues have dealt with the past decade, and he anticipates they will continue to be so. He has traveled more than a million miles, to more than 70 nations, since 1995 "in an effort to help our people," he said.

"It becomes very tiring, very wearisome, but it �s very faith-promoting. When you get out among the people and see their strength and their capacity, their devotion and their love, it's a wonderful thing, really. You just can't believe it until you experience it, and it's tremendous."

When asked about his 95th birthday coming up in June, he said he �s "planning a birthday party in July, if I make it." Circumstances make holding it on his actual birthday impossible, he said, but "we had a big party five years ago in the Conference Center, and we're going to have another one on July 22. You're all welcome."

President Hinckley praised his counselors as men of wisdom, faith and devotion and said he couldn't find any two men better suited to serve with him.

They lauded his visionary leadership with "foresight and inspiration and guidance, which has caused all these marvelous things to come about," President Faust said.

"He is a man of vision who does not take counsel from his fears," President Monson said. "He plans, he prepares, he prays, then with that prophetic influence which comes to him . . . he moves forward with faith."

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Contributing: KSL-TV

E-mail: carrie@desnews.com