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When the LDS Church declared political involvement off-limits for its senior leaders earlier this week, the policy decree covered only partisan campaigns and did not extend to matters the church deems to have "significant community or moral consequences."
That means Mormon leaders could take an active role in another Proposition 8-type campaign.
After initially declining to clarify that point, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in a subsequent statement that the newly announced policy addressed only partisan political campaigning and did not change the faith's long-standing approach to involvement in some social issues and initiatives, such as the same-sex marriage ban in California or the standoff about immigration in Utah.
The church policy, issued June 16 by the church's governing First Presidency, said top, full-time leaders and their spouses should not participate in political campaigns, including fundraising, donating or endorsing candidates.
Part-time LDS leaders — including area seventies, stake presidents and bishops — are allowed to take part in partisan political campaigns, but they must do so as individuals and not as church officials.
The church's policy bars such part-time church officials from partisan fundraising or campaigning that focuses on members of congregations they oversee, but again, not on key social issues.
Issued in a political season with two Mormon Republicans — Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman — making White House bids, the policy statement was portrayed by church officials as a reiteration of political neutrality.
Several political observers said the policy was likely prompted by inquiries from church members in light of the Romney and Huntsman presidential bids, as well as the headline-grabbing 2008 Prop 8 referendum and recent immigration legislation that has split Mormons and Utah Republicans.
"There has been division within the largest bloc of voters in the state of Utah, namely those who self-identify as LDS," said Tim Chambless, a University of Utah political scientist. "There are people seeking guidance from the epicenter."
Quin Monson, a political scientist at LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University, said the statement also may reflect "an abundance of caution" by the Utah-based faith in protecting its tax-exempt, nonprofit status by staying out of partisan politics.
The newly issued church policy left questions Monday about whether the new limits pertained to church leaders weighing in on ballot issues. The statement carried the title "Political Party Participation of Presiding Church Officers," but made no reference in the text to "party" or "partisan" politics.
Any ambiguity ended late Tuesday with a short follow-up statement in response to questions from The Salt Lake Tribune.
Church spokesman Scott Trotter said the new statement dealt only with partisan politics. He noted that the distinction between partisan and social issues was in keeping with a wider statement in place for more than four years, available on the church's website, lds.org.
That policy states that the LDS Church "does reserve the right as an institution to address, in a nonpartisan way, issues that it believes have significant community or moral consequences or that directly affect the interests of the church.''
That position was cited by the church amid its hefty and coordinated support for the same-sex marriage ban on California's 2008 ballot. The measure received financial and logistical backing from senior LDS leaders and individual members, who were urged from the pulpit to donate money and time toward its passage.
Brandie Balken, executive director with Equality Utah, a Salt Lake City-based gay-rights group, called the church's new statement "a step in the right direction'' if it meant bishops and stake presidents would be called upon to clearly distinguish between their personal views and official church positions.
"It is important for private citizens to be engaged and involved in the political process," Balken said. "But it is equally important for them to clarify what role they are acting in."
More recently, the LDS Church labeled its moderating stance on the Utah Legislature's immigration debate as a reflection of a "bedrock moral issue'' rather than a political one. The Mormon role in passage of the HB116 guest-worker law, which has deeply divided GOP delegates, highlights how blurred the line between morality and politics can become.
"Partisan consequences can lead to an imbalance," Monson said. "You have a church taking stances on moral issues, and they don't want to be so one-sided, but they can't control the platforms of the Democratic and the Republican parties."
Twitter: @Tony_Semerad —
LDS statement on political participation
"General authorities and general officers of the church and their spouses and other ecclesiastical leaders serving full time should not personally participate in political campaigns, including promoting candidates, fundraising, speaking in behalf of or otherwise endorsing candidates and making financial contributions.
"Since they are not full-time officers of the church, area seventies, stake presidents and bishops are free to contribute, serve on campaign committees and otherwise support candidates of their choice with the understanding they:
Are acting solely as individual citizens in the democratic process and that they do not imply, or allow others to infer, that their actions or support in any way represent the church.
Will not use church stationery, church-generated address lists or email systems or church buildings for political promotional purposes.
Will not engage in fundraising or other types of campaigning focused on fellow church members under their ecclesiastical supervision."
Follow-up statement from church spokesman Scott Trotter
"The First Presidency letter ... made it clear that the matter being addressed was party political campaigning at the start of a new political season. ...
"The church does reserve the right as an institution to address, in a nonpartisan way, issues that it believes have significant community or moral consequences or that directly affect the interests of the church."