From: Messages to the Baha’i World Community
– by the Universal House of Justice
November 1964
To the Bahá'ís of the world
Beloved friends,
Once again the World Centre of our Faith has been the scene
of historic events, affecting profoundly the immediate prosecution of the Nine
Year Plan and the future development of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh. The
occasion was the gathering in the Holy Land, for a period of fourteen days, of
the Hands of the Cause of God to discuss their vital responsibilities, and
particularly as Standard-bearers of the Nine Year Plan.
The Universal House of Justice took advantage of this
opportunity not only to receive the advice, opinions and views of the Hands on
the progress of the Nine Year Plan but to consult them on the highly important
goal announced at Ridvan 1964 under World Centre Goals as "Development of
the Institution of the Hands of the Cause of God, in consultation with the body
of the Hands of the Cause, with a view to the extension into the future of its
appointed functions of protection and propagation."
It was apparent that the elucidation of this vital goal,
affecting as it does the relationship of the Hands of the Cause of God to all
other institutions of the Cause, was imperative to the prosecution of the
all-important teaching work and the development of the Bahá'í World Order.
Accordingly, the Universal House of Justice gave its full
attention to this matter and, after study of the sacred texts and hearing the
views of the Hands of the Cause themselves, has arrived at the following
decisions:
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