June 23. On this date in 1960, Leroy Ioas wrote "It is a sad turn of events that a man of Mr. Charles Mason Remey's stature in the Faith-with such a remarkably long period of service under the loving guidance of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi --should now transgress the laws of the Faith-and its institutions-and even more particularly, the confidence the Centres of the Faith reposed in him-by now proclaiming himself the second Guardian of the Faith.... This ridiculous claim, of course, I reject and strongly condemn. With his continuing destructive activities I do not see how we can dismiss them-by simply asking the Friends not to associate with him. As I have cabled previously, he must be put out of the Faith entirely as a Covenant-breaker --and the same action must be taken with regard to those who uphold his blasphemous claims. The question of Covenant-breaking is not one of votes-it is a case of disobedience-and Mr. Remey and his associates have disobeyed the teachings of the Faith-have stirred up difficulties --are centres of hate of the progress of the Faith-and the sacrificial services of the Friends.... This matter should not drift as is being allowed."

 

June 23. On this date in 1960, Leroy Ioas wrote "It is a sad turn of events that a man of Mr. Charles Mason Remey's stature in the Faith-with such a remarkably long period of service under the loving guidance of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi --should now transgress the laws of the Faith-and its institutions-and even more particularly, the confidence the Centres of the Faith reposed in him-by now proclaiming himself the second Guardian of the Faith.... This ridiculous claim, of course, I reject and strongly condemn. With his continuing destructive activities I do not see how we can dismiss them-by simply asking the Friends not to associate with him. As I have cabled previously, he must be put out of the Faith entirely as a Covenant-breaker --and the same action must be taken with regard to those who uphold his blasphemous claims. The question of Covenant-breaking is not one of votes-it is a case of disobedience-and Mr. Remey and his associates have disobeyed the teachings of the Faith-have stirred up difficulties --are centres of hate of the progress of the Faith-and the sacrificial services of the Friends.... This matter should not drift as is being allowed."

Hand of the Cause of God Leroy C. Ioas had served as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, a member of the International Bahá’í Council, and a Custodian. Among other roles, he had accompanied Shoghi Effendi and Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum for their May 26, 1952, visit of Israeli President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and was the author of a January 18, 1953, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, later referenced in a Bahai News article in March 1953, defining the terms "Age" and "Epoch."

Charles Mason Remey was an early and active Bahá'í who, along with Howard C. Struven, became the first Bahá'ís to make a complete circuit of the world. Mason Remey would later become a Hand of the Cause, the president of the International Bahá'í Council, and after Shoghi Effendi's death, a claimant to the office of Guardian. Charles Mason Remey was the architect for the Bahá'í Houses of Worship in Uganda and Australia, and Shoghi Effendi approved his design of the unbuilt House of Worship in Haifa, Israel.

Mason Remey based his claim to be the second Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith the idea that by appointing him as President of the International Bahá'í Council, the embryonic form of the Universal House of Justice which would be led by the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi had in fact implicitly named him as the second Guardian. Mason Remey's claim was largely rejected with several notable exceptions, including five members of the National Spiritual Assembly of France led by Joel Marangella. The remaining 26 Hands of the Cause unanimously declared Remey and whoever followed him Covenant-breakers.