THE TIMES OF INDIA

NEW DELHI
FRIDAY, MARCH 7 1992

ATTENTION BAHA’IS
 

EXCERPTS FROM THE PROCLAMATION OF RIDVAN 1960
OF MASON REMEY, SECOND GUARDIAN OF THE BAHA’I FAITH

“BELOVED FRIENDS: Believers have questioned me as to my status as President of the Baha’i International Council, appointed by the beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Baha’i Faith. I take the means of this proclamation to the coming annual national convention to tell all Baha’is exactly what my position and status is in the Faith.

“The Baha’i people the world around know that the beloved Guardian singled me, Mason Remey, out from amongst all the believers upon earth to occupy the position of President of the Baha’i International Council. This is the only position suggestive of authority that Shoghi Effendi ever bestowed upon anyone, the only special and specific appointment of authority to any man ever made by him.”

“The beloved Guardian declared the Baha’i International Council to be the forerunner of and the first step toward the establishment of The Universal House of Justice, and furthermore, that the Baha’i International Council was the embryo of the Universal House of Justice which embryo would eventually develop into the Universal House of Justice.”

* * * * * *

“I, as President of the International Council was one of those things that every Baha’i knows but that just never happened to be talked about nor even mentioned in any of the conclaves or in the conferences of the Hands of the Faith; therefore, as this subject was never mentioned, I, having promised the Hands never to divulge any of their discussions, proceedings or decisions, am not breaking faith with them now by explaining to the believers about this subject of my Presidentship of the International Council, a subject that was never even mentioned nor brought up for discussion by the Hands of the Faith in any conference that I ever attended or know anything about.”

* * * * * *

“The beloved Guardian gave me no authority to do anything about the Universal Council during his lifetime, for while he was living he was the Guardian of the Faith, and as infallibility then was vested in him and in him only, my position was then only that of I myself holding a potential responsibility. But with the death of Shoghi Effendi… I became the acting President of the International Council… Therefore, I am now but assuming the powers that came to me automatically upon the death of Shoghi Effendi and that have been mine exclusively of all others upon earth…”

* * * * * *

“The beloved Guardian chose me to be the President of the Baha’i International Council that is, according to his explanation, the President of the Embryonic Universal House of Justice.”

“The line of the Guardianship of the Baha’i Faith is unbroken for I have been the Guardian of the Faith since the death of the beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi.”

“With much love to you.

Faithfully in El Abha,

Mason R., Guardian of the Baha’i Faith”
 

STATEMENT BY THE THIRD GUARDIAN

The believers were never given the opportunity to read the full text of the above Proclamation as it was dispatched to the Bahá’í World through the NSA of the United States, which did not distribute it to its sister Assemblies. Had this been done, you would not have remained in ignorance of its contents to this day and would undoubtedly have recognized the validity of Mason Remey’s appointment as the second Guardian of the Faith and perceived that his accession to the Guardianship had taken effect coincident with the passing of Shoghi Effendi.

Mason Remey employed the same instrumentality as Shoghi Effendi in appointing his successor by naming me the President-to-be of the second International Bahá’í Council upon its activation. Additionally, in a hand-written letter dated 5 December 1961 he directed me “to tell the Bahá’í World” that I was appointed the third Guardian of the Faith.

As Presidency of the Universal House of Justice and Guardianship are synonymous terms, it is my fervent hope that the Indian believers will thoroughly investigate the evidence supporting the continuity of the Guardianship and in their fidelity to the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh rally to the support of the third Guardian and assist him to restore the Institutions of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh as delineated in the sacred and immortal Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
 

Joel Bray Marangella
Third Guardian of the Faith
 

For the complete text of Mason Remey’s Proclamation or for further information:

E-mail : National Baha’i Council of India

P.O. Box 54
Vasai Road
District: Thane: 401207
Maharashtra
INDIA