Romney to attend Mormon leader's funeral
By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Mitt Romney, who rarely talks on the campaign trail about his Mormon faith, said today that he plans to attend the funeral of Gordon B. Hinckley, the church president who died yesterday at age 97 in Salt Lake City.
At a news conference called in part to discuss Hinckley’s death, Romney recalled that he met with Hinckley three or four times to discuss planning for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and once before Romney decided to run for president.
Romney called Hinckley a leader who oversaw a remarkable period of church expansion. "We will miss him as a family, respect him as a man of great character and courage, but particularly his humility and ability to touch the lives of each individual is something for which he will long be noted," Romney told reporters outside a Texaco station.
He added that Hinckley’s "effort to reach out across the world and to faraway lands and to build temples for our church is something which will also give him a legacy that will last many, many years, indeed. And we will miss his leadership."
Romney said he did know Hinckley personally until he took over the leadership of the Winter Olympics and the two met to discuss the use of church assets, such as property next to the ski jump facility. Some of his requests were approved, others were denied, Romney said. He recalled one particular request to Hinckley to turn a church parking lot into a 10,000-seat Olympics medals plaza.
"I was impressed by his knowledge of the details," Romney said. "He said, 'Aren't the sewer pipes too close to the surface on that lot for them to be able to level it?' He literally was aware of…the sewer system for the lot well enough to recognize that was an issue."
Romney did not mention meeting with Hinckley to discuss his run for the presidency until a reporter asked him about it.
"Yes, I was in Salt Lake and had the chance to go by him and see him and told him that our family was going to be thinking about running for president," Romney said. "And he smiled and said, ‘It would be great experience if you won, and a great experience if you lost.’"
He said he was not particularly close to Hinckley.
"Like millions of other members of my faith, I didn't get to know President Hinckley on a very personal one-to-one basis," Romney said. "Instead, I knew him as a member of my church and saw him as a leader of great capacity, of great ability to reach out and touch a large number of people with a very personal and human connection. And his humility and gentleness I think will always be a part of the memory we have of President Gordon B. Hinckley."
Romney’s religion has been a sensitive issue in the campaign because many evangelical Christians, who are influential in Republican primaries, consider the faith heretical. Romney delivered a major speech in Texas in December intended to quell some of those concerns and explain his view of America's history of religious tolerance.
I enjoyed reading this article. Thank you.
sweet
So much for the guy who will say or do anything to get elected.
The politically expediant thing to do for a guy locked in a tight race with McCain in Florida would be to keep quiet about a Mormon leader's death so as not to re-focus attention on his faith but instead he choose to honor the man. He has to know that he'll get new stories printed about his Mormonism and at this very critical time in the race, it may impact the vote some people cast. In spite of that, he chose to do the right thing.
That, to me speaks volumes of Romney's integrity.
I loved President Hinckley. He will be missed. I remember as a young teenager watching him speak. He expressed his love for us as members of the church and even became somewhat emotional. I felt he loved me and even more that God loved me. It gave me strength to make changes in my life that needed to be made. Gordon B. Hinckley has been a great influence for good in my life.
praise to the man who communed with jehovah.
Pres. Hinckley was one of the greatest men to walk upon the earth.
I am also a Latter-Day Saint and mourn the loss of President Hinckley. I never met him, but after decades of listening to him speak, I feel I have lost a dear loved one. His leadership brought me closer to God, his example of service and humility have inspired me to be more like our Savior Jesus Christ.
We live in a darkening world, and I am often troubled by the hate and sadness that cankers our society. Gordon Hinckley taught me hope and showed me optimism. I am confident that God loves us and no matter what evil surrounds us we can have peace in righteous living and hope in selfless giving.
Rest in Peace, Pres. Hinckley. You will be missed on earth and welcomed back
home. We love you.
I had the honour to meet President Hinkley three times in my life and was able to shake his hand and look into his eyes. All three experiences were ones that rocked me to my core. I know as surely as I know that the sun will rise today that this man was a man of God, that he was and is a prophet, and that he truly walked and talked with God. The eyes are the window to the soul and his eyes were filled with love, with faith, purity and truth. He has been the prophet for most of my life and in a very real sense was MY prophet as it was his counsel and wisdom that got me through the most difficult years of youth, I miss him sorely. I wish the rest of the world knew him as we LDS knew him. There was no better example and he was a father figure to many of us. God bless you our dear prophet for your matchless life and example, for your eternal optimism in a pessimistic world, and most of all your unmatched sense of humor. We love you and miss you so very much, but we are happy that you are finally with your beloved wife and family. Thank you for just living and bringing so much light to this world for such a long time.
Gordon B. Hinckley did God's work with all his energy for 100 years. He made humility a virtue again with Mormons, and was kind to member of all faiths, even those that hated him.
I have real respect for Mitt Romney to leave this hotly contested race for Super Tuesday, where he is behind in the polls, to go to a funeral for the head of his church, but I really do not think it is appropriate for condolences to be written here for the man who died, instead for the people to see how Mitt Romney gave valuable time to attend this funeral. Mitt Romney is a man of honor, and the type of man that I would like to see as the President of the United States.
I have real respect for Mitt Romney to leave this hotly contested race for Super Tuesday, where he is behind in the polls, to go to a funeral for the head of his church, but I really do not think it is appropriate for condolences to be written here for the man who died, instead for the people to see how Mitt Romney gave valuable time to attend this funeral. Mitt Romney is a man of honor, and the type of man that I would like to see as the President of the United States.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
Send your comments to masspolitics@globe.com
browse this blog
by categoryINside Boston.com