Church signs off on alcohol liberalization in Utah?

[MikeWaters]

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_12041560

Tom Barberi, who was on a task force Huntsman appointed to study liquor policy before he took office in 2004, attributed part of the church's change of heart to its economic interests.

The church is dropping $1.5 billion into its City Creek Center development in downtown Salt Lake City "so they have, to say the least, a large vested interest in the success of downtown and the continued growth of Utah and its image."

"They're very astute businessmen and they recognize that if the state is going to continue and prosper ... it has to get rid of some of the misperceptions that the state has and the church has," he said.

But long-time advocates for reform say a number of changes, including the death of LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley and the selection of Thomas S. Monson as his replacement, made the faith more amenable to liberalizing Utah's liquor laws.

"Tom Monson, I believe, is more liberal, more realistic, having been in the business world," said Jack Gallivan, a former publisher of The Salt Lake Tribune and a force for liquor reform. "That's just my own personal interpretation. He recognized if we did treat visitors the same as they are treated at home, we are going to continue to prosper."

[RedHeadGal]

This article doesn't make clear to me what the former and new policies each are. Is the suggesting that the church leadership is embracing a more liberal perspective on public policy to enhance financial success in the area?