He is coming to Salt Lake City on Monday to make further amends to Mormons and to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sharpton will spend the day touring the church headquarters and grounds, LDS spokesman Scott Trotter said on Friday. He will meet with several high level LDS officials, but Trotter would not confirm whether that will include the church's 96-year-old president, Gordon B. Hinckley.

"We're still working out the details," Trotter said.

The Sharpton/Romney/Mormon saga began on May 7 during a debate between the Christian pastor and Christopher Hitchens, an atheist.

"As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that; that's a temporary situation,'' Sharpton said in the debate.

Romney interpreted the comment to mean that Mormons "don't really believe in God," and responded forcefully, saying, "It shows that bigotry still exists in some corners."

But Sharpton said Romney misconstrued his remark and was using it for political gain. He offered to meet with Romney, but said the candidate declined.

Then the outspoken black activist and one-time presidential candidate apologized to "regular Mormons" and spoke by phone with Russell M. Nelson and Henry B. Eyring, members of the LDS Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Sharpton reiterated his regret to the apostles and said he would like to meet with them in person and to learn more about the Mormon faith. He has raised questions about the church's ban on black men being ordained to the church's all-male priesthood before 1978 and hopes to understand LDS history and theology better.

"I think that it is something that we need to do in this country, is talk more - talk to each other more," Sharpton told CNN Headline News talk show host Glenn Beck last week. "I don't know if three years ago I would have done it."

This will not be Sharpton's first visit to the Beehive State. He came in December 2002 to address the annual luncheon of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials.

At that time Sharpton gave a fire-breathing speech about how Democrats and African-Americans have forgotten where they came from. Then the New York City preacher promised to come back.

Now he'll have his chance.

pstack@sltrib.com