Preparations underway for events in the Holy Land
The Universal House of Justice has announced arrangements for the selection of national representatives to attend special celebrations in the Holy Land in late 2021. Notice has also been given of the suspension of the pilgrimage programme at the time of that gathering, and again in early 2022 during the conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors and Auxiliary Board members. Please scroll down for details.
Background to the special events
In its message to the Bahá’ís of the World on 25 November 2020, the Universal House of Justice stated that “earnest preparations continue to be made in the Holy Land for the commemoration of the centenary of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at a gathering at which, it is hoped, representatives of National Spiritual Assemblies and Regional Bahá’í Councils will be present. Similarly, plans are already being made for the conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors and Auxiliary Board members, which will coincide, in January 2022, with the lapse of one hundred years since the first public reading of the Will and Testament of the Master.”
Selection of national representatives
The representatives from each country at the Centenary Commemoration of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá will comprise two members of each National Spiritual Assembly that will be elected in April 2021, and one member from amongst the current membership of each Regional Bahá’í Council. The selection of representatives will be done by National Assemblies through a process of drawing lots. In Aotearoa, the selection process will be carried out by early May 2021.
Details of pilgrimage and brief visit suspensions
The pilgrimage programme will be suspended from 22 November to 1 December 2021 and again from 3 to 11 January 2022 for special gatherings to be held in the Holy Land, the first being for the Centenary Commemoration of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
In addition, brief visitors may not visit the Holy Land from 10 to 30 November 2021 and from 28 December 2021 to 8 January 2022.
For information about the current suspension of pilgrimages because of the Coronavirus pandemic, please see https://pilgrimage.bwc.org/traveladvisory/
