LDS officials distance church from Romney

LDS Church officials this week continued to distance the church from the potential presidential candidacy of Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his supporters.

"The church has repeatedly stated its commitment to the principle of neutrality in party politics," LDS Church spokesman Dale Bills told the Deseret Morning News Monday. "These latest developments confirm that church leaders were not involved in candidate fund raising."

The developments are a Salt Lake Tribune story Monday that said prominent developer Kem Gardner, a friend and financial backer of Romney, takes the blame for "this whole mess." In that story, however, Gardner appears also to cast some blame on an overzealous political consultant.

Gardner did not return calls Monday from the Deseret Morning News.

"The mess" refers to Gardner arranging a meeting between Romney supporters and an LDS Church apostle. The meeting and what was purportedly said there ended up linking political support for Romney with the top ranks of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Proof of blatant support of any candidate puts the church at risk of losing its tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service and could damage Romney's prospects of getting the GOP nomination.

The Boston Globe over the past week has reported that an e-mail by Don Stirling, a Utah-based political consultant for Romney, said that LDS leaders, including church President Gordon B. Hinckley, knew about meetings between Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve and Romney supporters, including Gardner.

And a Globe editorial Monday accused Romney of appearing to be "all too willing to entangle religion and politics."

"Voters who practice a different faith, or none at all, deserve assurances that he can separate the demands of public life from the urgings of Salt Lake City," the editorial concluded.

"I can state unequivocally that Elder Holland has never discussed with the (LDS) First Presidency the matters asserted in the Don Stirling e-mail," Bills said.

Earlier church statements said Elder Holland told the Romney supporters of the church's political neutrality policy.

Gardner told the Tribune that Stirling got carried away with his descriptions of a September meeting. "We know Mitt can't use the church," Gardner told the Tribune.

The church-owned Deseret Book Co. is also involved in the controversy because the Stirling e-mail was directed to its CEO, Sheri Dew . According to the Globe, the e-mail talked about a meeting last month between Gardner and Romney's son, Josh, adding that Gardner had also previously met with Holland.