SALT LAKE CITY — The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued a new proclamation to the world on Sunday morning, the sixth in the 190-year history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Clearly, proclamations are rare. Here is a look at all six proclamations and what they mean:
1. Proclamation of the First Presidency to the Saints Scattered Abroad, issued Jan. 15, 1841. It reviews the progress of the fledgling church, founded in 1830, despite hardships and persecutions.
“We have to congratulate the Saints on the progress of the great work of the ‘last days,’ for not only has it spread through the length and breadth of this vast continent, but on the continent of Europe, and on the islands of the sea, it is spreading in a manner entirely unprecedented in the annals of time. This appears the more pleasing when we consider, that but a short time has elapsed since we were unmercifully driven from the state of Missouri, after suffering cruelties and persecutions in various and horrid forms.”
Signed by Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois.
2. Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, issued April 6, 1845.
In part, it said:
“To all the kings of the world, to the president of the United States of America, to the governors of the several states and to the rulers and people of all nations:
“Greeting. Know ye that the kingdom of God has come, as has been predicted by ancient prophets, and prayed for in all ages; even that kingdom which shall fill the whole earth, and shall stand for ever.”
Signed by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in Liverpool, England, during the longest apostolic interregnum in church history. Joseph Smith had been martyred in June 1844 and no First Presidency existed at the time.
3. Proclamation of the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles, issued Oct. 21, 1865. This proclamation clarified that all church doctrine is issued by the First Presidency and the Twelve.
“There is but one man upon the earth, at one time, who holds the keys to receive commandments and revelations for the Church, and who has the authority to write doctrines by way of commandment unto the Church,” it said in part.
Signed by Brigham Young and 12 other leaders in Salt Lake City, Utah.
4. Proclamation from the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, issued on the church’s sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary, April 6, 1980.
The Sunday morning session was broadcast from the Peter Whitmer Sr. home in Fayette, New York. President Spencer W. Kimball announced the proclamation and asked Elder Gordon B. Hinckley to read it.
“We testify that this restored gospel was introduced into the world by the marvelous appearance of God the Eternal Father and His Son, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. That most glorious manifestation marked the beginning of the fulfillment of the promise of Peter, who prophesied of ‘the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began,’ this in preparation for the coming of the Lord to reign personally upon the earth.”
Watch the video here.
5. The Family: A Proclamation to the World, issued Sept. 23, 1995.
President Hinckley read the proclamation in the General Relief Society Meeting and said its purpose was to “warn and forewarn” the world. It is an official church statement on family and marriage, and it is often found on the walls in the homes of Latter-day Saints.
“The family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children,” it says in part. It also included this: “We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.”
Watch the video here.
6. “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World, issued April 5, 2020.
“In humility, we declare that in answer to his prayer, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph and inaugurated the ‘restitution of all things’ as foretold in the Bible. In this vision, he learned that following the death of the original Apostles, Christ’s New Testament Church was lost from the earth. Joseph would be instrumental in its return,” it said in part, adding:
“We declare that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized on April 6, 1830, is Christ’s New Testament Church restored.”
How is a proclamation different?
Church leaders also issue official declarations, letters and policies. In the past, they have issued doctrinal expositions or epistles. The church also canonizes scripture.
The six proclamations have served as general epistles to either church members, the public at large or both.
“All such declarations have been solemn and sacred in nature and were issued with the intent to bring forth, build up and regulate the affairs of the church as the kingdom of God on the earth. Subject matter has included instruction on doctrine, faith and history; warnings of judgments to come; invitations to assist in the work; and statements of church growth and progress,” according to an entry in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism written by Robert J. Matthews. Matthews was chief editor of the church’s Bible Dictionary, served as president of the Mount Timpanogos Temple and worked for years as a dean and department chair in BYU’s religion departments. He was instrumental in obtaining permission for the church to use the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.