An article published Thursday in the Boston Globe suggests that officials of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with two BYU professors, may have improperly aided in marshalling political support -- and financial aid -- of church members behind a possible run for president by Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is a member of the church.

Such activity, if true, may violate Internal Revenue prohibitions on political advocacy by nonprofit groups, including churches. Both BYU and the LDS Church are incorporated as nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations.

There are approximately 5.7 million Mormons in the United States, which could be an influential bloc in a future presidential election. Romney has not announced his candidacy, but he is widely believed to be a front-runner for the Republican party.

The suggestion of political impropriety was dismissed by church spokesman Michael R. Otterson, who told Globe reporters Scott Helman and Michael Levenson in an e-mail that any allegations that church leaders were working to promote Romney were "nonsense." In an interview with the Daily Herald, Otterson objected to the article's "conspiratorial tone." He reiterated the church's policy on political neutrality, which was recently sent to congregations across the country.

The Globe article singled out BYU associate dean Steve Albrecht and dean Ned Hill of the Marriott School of Management, who sent e-mails using their university addresses and titles asking for support for Romney. The e-mails went to 50 members of the Management Society, the alumni association of the business school, and to 100 members of the school's National Advisory Council, the article said.

BYU spokeswoman Carrie Jenkins said Thursday that the university found out about Hill's and Albrecht's e-mails from a recipient in Texas. The matter was forwarded to a university attorney, who told the two the next day to stop.

The two did not have BYU approval, nor was the university aware of the campaign, Jenkins said.

"We do have a policy of political neutrality," she said.

When asked about the possibility of an IRS investigation, Jenkins said she didn't think it would be a problem because of the speed of the university's response. Albrecht acknowledged the mistake, Jenkins said, and neither man will be disciplined for his actions.

The article details how Romney supporters met with Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It also tells of several BYU employees' involvement using university resources to stump for Romney in possible violation of IRS rules regarding nonprofit entities.

While BYU officials admit the mistake, church spokesman Mike Otterson on Thursday strongly disputed the Globe's report, which repeatedly cited "documents" indicating an intricate initiative involving the church. Otterson said he was not allowed to see the purported documents and could not comment on them.

At the heart of the article is a Sept. 19 meeting between Holland and his longtime friend Kem Gardner, Romney's son Josh and Don Stirling, a consultant for Romney's political action committee, Commonwealth PAC.

Otterson said the meeting was scheduled as a courtesy visit with Gardner with no agenda, and that Holland had no knowledge of the PAC until afterward.

When the meeting did turn to politics, Otterson said Holland reminded the men of the church's political neutrality, which precludes it from sponsoring candidates. In Otterson's version, when the discussion moved to the question of using BYU's business school alumni association as a way to garner support for Romney, Holland said the men should be speaking with the alumni group and not him.

The Globe article said that "documents indicate that Jeffrey R. Holland ... has handled the initiative and that he hosted a Sept. 19 meeting about it in his church office in Salt Lake City. ... Globe reporters observed Romney's representatives enter and leave church headquarters for the meeting."

According to the Globe article, documents also show that "Gardner had already met with Holland at least once to discuss the initiative" and that "Holland, a former BYU president, suggested using the alumni organization ... to build a network for Romney."

"Such a plan would give Romney an established infrastructure -- the alumni group has 5,500 members in about 40 U.S. chapters -- for raising money and generating support," the article said. Albrecht was among those invited eight days later to a private dinner with "prominent Mormons," and "they discussed the effort further."

The letters from Albrecht and Hill were headed "Dear Marriott School Friend," the Globe reported. "We are writing to you as a friend to see if you have any interest in helping Governor Romney by volunteering to serve as a Community or Neighborhood Chair."

"Governor Romney's chances for success are significantly enhanced and energized by people, such as you, who are willing to help him at the grass-roots level throughout the United States," the e-mail said.

The Globe article comes at a time when Romney's religion is under close scrutiny by other mainstream Christian groups and evangelicals who have long harbored animosity toward the LDS Church, even disputing its clear record of Christian faith. Despite their religious differences, however, Mormons and other conservative Christians have a lot of common ground politically.

"Some evangelicals may think that Mormons are going to hell," said Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith in an article published earlier this week in the Herald. "But at the same time, they might think that it wouldn't be too bad to have one in elected office."

Romney's resume is considered so good that Republicans would typically jump at the chance to have such a candidate. Tall and athletic, he is a successful CEO and now governor of a traditionally liberal state. He also has a political pedigree: his father, George, was a three-term governor of Michigan. Romney was credited with the phenomenal financial success of the 2002 Olympics in Utah.

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