Recommends for Divorced Persons:

No divorced per-son, man or woman, is to receive a temple recommend until and unless the facts of the divorce have been submitted by the bishop to the First Presidency, and the bishop receives back from the First Presidency, a letter authorizing the issuance of such a recommend and on condition of worthiness as developed in a careful interview by the bishop and stake presidency. Bishops should make sure that in the case of a divorced person being recommended for temple marriage, a final divorce decree has been secured; and if the individual was married in the temple previously that a cancellation of sealing has been granted in the case of a woman. However, a man married in the temple who has had a civil divorce but not a cancellation of sealing may be recommended for temple marriage without first having the previous sealing annulled if he is fully worthy and if his divorce has been cleared by the First Presidency.

Bishops should conduct a thorough, searching inter-view of men and women seeking recommends to marry a second time in the temple. They should inquire into the basis of the divorce, know whether there have been more divorces than one, seek to learn where the fault lay, and issue the recommend only if they are convinced that the applicant is wholly worthy.

Whenever a divorced person applies for a recommend to the temple, the bishop shall make careful, but discreet and courteous inquiry into the causes that led to the divorce proceedings, and the grounds on which the divorce was granted, and report these in writing to the president of the stake who shall supplement the bishop's investigation if he feels such a course wise. Particular care should be exer-cised when the applicant for the recommend is the party whose conduct is the basis for the divorce.

Before the recommend is issued the case, with an accompanying statement of the facts elicited by the bishop or president of stake, should be referred to the First Pres-idency for their consideration and action, either of approval of or disapproval of the issuing of the temple recommend. In cases where a temple divorce has been granted or applied for, the First Presidency may have facts which the party applying for the recommend may not have disclosed.

The instruction relates to all persons who have had divorces, no matter when the divorce occurred, even prior to joining the Church, and no matter whether or not they have since received to go into the temple.

The bishop of the ward should make his investigation and write a letter giving the results thereof to the president of the stake. The bishop's letter to the president of the stake should, whenever possible, contain a short statement signed by the person making the application, covering spe-cifically the matters mentioned in the paragraphs below.

The president of the stake should likewise make an investigation, personally whenever possible, and either approve or disapprove the recommendation of the bishop of the ward. Both bishops and presidents of stakes should do more than merely endorse a letter of the applicant.

The president of the stake should forward the com-pleted file to the First Presidency. A separate letter should be written concerning each applicant.