"We're a country that is based on religious freedom, and we're a country in which we respect each other's right to have different views about religion, about God, about our belief in God," Giuliani said during an appearance in Sarasota, Fla. "I think the governor made that point very clearly today. I can't imagine anybody disagreeing with that."

While Romney has been subject to some leafletting and phone calling pointing to religious differences between his faith and others, he has faced little outright religious bigotry or questions on the campaign trail.

Yet, in an AP-Yahoo poll last month, half said they had some problems supporting a Mormon presidential candidate, including one-fifth who said that would make them very uncomfortable.

Fifty-six percent of white evangelical Christians — a major portion of likely participants in the early GOP presidential contests in Iowa and South Carolina — expressed reservations about a Mormon candidate.

Romney sought to allay those concerns by confronting them, and his remarks received wide attention. His staff released favored excerpts before the network morning shows and distributed photos of him editing his remarks, much as the White House does before a State of the Union speech.

And Romney chose a presidential library, with a backdrop of 10 flags and the presidential seal, for his speech.

Former President Bush introduced him, noting his own connection to Romney's late father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney.

"He's certainly one of my mentors when it comes to points of light," said Bush, who enacted a volunteer initiative while president called, "Thousand Points of Light."

That said, Bush said he had no intention of endorsing anyone. "I simply have too much respect for all of the candidates," he said.

Striking a family chord, Romney's wife of 38 years, Ann, and four of the couple's five sons sat in the front row for the speech — two with their own children.

"We are a long way from perfect, and we have surely stumbled along the way, but our aspirations, our values, are the selfsame as those from the other faiths that stand upon this common foundation," Romney said. "And these convictions will indeed inform my presidency."

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Contributing: Alan Fram