Mr. Romney has an impeccable Mormon pedigree. His family traces its church lineage to 1837

Romney counseled a young man who felt disqualified from going on mission (the required time Mormon young people are expected to serve):

“He told me that, as human beings, our work isn’t measured by taking the sum of our good deeds and the sum of our bad deeds and seeing how things even out,” recalled Mr. Clark, now 37, sober and working as a filmmaker in Utah. “He said, ‘The only thing you need to think about is: Are you trying to improve, are you trying to do better? And if you are, then you’re a saint.’ ”

And, towards the end of the article, the same young man is quoted concerning how Mr. Romney counseled him

“…they spoke for more than an hour. “He talked a lot about the Savior, and what the atonement means,” Mr. Clark said. “He said, ‘I just want you to know you are not alone.’ ”