Message regarding considerations related to the pilgrimage season

4 October 2024 / 9 Will 181

All Local Spiritual Assemblies
All Regional Bahá’í Councils
All Registered Groups

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

We hasten to share with you the following message of today’s date, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, addressed to all National Spiritual Assemblies.  Kindly arrange for its wide distribution in your communities.

The Universal House of Justice has asked us to convey its gratitude for the prayers of the friends all over the world and the many expressions of concern it has received during the months of the current conflict in the Holy Land.  Despite the difficult circumstances of the last year, staff at the Bahá’í World Centre were delighted to welcome some one and a half thousand pilgrims and visitors.  The new pilgrimage season is scheduled to commence at the end of this month.  Every effort will be made to offer the pilgrimage programme according to the planned dates.  The Department of Pilgrimage will be in contact with prospective pilgrims in the weeks before their anticipated arrival to provide advice, and staff at the World Centre will be standing ready to assist pilgrims during their visits.  Naturally, in the present uncertainty, those who travel to the Holy Land should be prepared to face unusual challenges and will need to be flexible and resilient; airlines can cancel flights with little prior warning, conditions may necessitate changes to the programme pilgrims follow, and they might be required to respond quickly to safety directives.  There may also be times when cancellation is necessary, and while prospective pilgrims in those groups will be informed as expeditiously as possible, this may on occasion be at short notice.  At any time, should invited friends wish to reschedule their visits to a later date, they are welcome to do so, and the Department of Pilgrimage will be happy to assist them.

Notwithstanding the prevailing conditions, care for all the Holy Places has continued uninterrupted.  The paving of the plaza in front of the Shrine of the Báb as well as of the main paths to its east and west is proceeding well; so too is the work being undertaken in the Shrine itself.  These projects are due to be completed in time for the arrival of pilgrims and the commemoration of the Twin Holy Birthdays.

The House of Justice continues to offer its ardent prayers at the Sacred Threshold for the alleviation of the suffering of all peoples caught up in conflict in this and other regions of the world.  Kindly share this letter with the friends in your community.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Karen McKye, Secretary