The letter in its entirety reads:

April 12, 2024

To: General Authorities; General Officers; Area Seventies; Stake, Mission, District, and Temple Presidents; Bishops and Branch Presidents

The Garment of the Holy Priesthood

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

The garment of the holy priesthood is a sacred symbol of Jesus Christ and is a reminder of our covenant relationship with Him and Heavenly Father. As endowed members keep the covenants they have made, including the sacred privilege to wear the garment, they will have greater access to the Savior’s mercy, protection, strength, and power.

The temple recommend questions (13 and 14) and the statement on wearing the temple garment have been updated to help leaders and members better understand the importance of wearing the temple garment as instructed in the initiatory ordinances.

The updated interview questions can be found at Leader and Clerk Resources (lcr.ChurchofJesusChrist.org). The enclosed document, titled “Updated Temple Recommend Questions,” should be inserted into existing temple recommend books replacing page 3. Existing temple recommend books should be used until depleted. Beginning April 17, 2024, updated temple recommend books will be sent to units that order replacements.

Sincerely yours,

(signed)

Russell M. Nelson

Dallin H. Oaks

Henry B. Eyring

The First Presidency

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Recommend questions and statement

The temple recommend questions and statement on the wearing of the garment are available to the public. They can also be found online in Chapter 26 of the Church’s “General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

And in his concluding address of the October 2019 general conference, President Nelson listed the temple recommend interview questions — including some that had recently been revised for clarity — that Latter-day Saints are asked by local leaders to confirm their worthiness and readiness to enter the temple.

The updated two questions come from a separating of a single question asked in the temple recommend interview. The two questions, which are omitted when a leader is interviewing a member who is not endowed, are:

“Do you keep the covenants that you made in the temple?”

“Do you honor your sacred privilege to wear the garment as instructed in the initiatory ordinances?”

After these two questions, leaders are directed to read the “Wearing the Temple Garment” statement, which as revised reads:

“The garment of the holy priesthood reminds us of the veil in the temple, and that veil is symbolic of Jesus Christ. When you put on your garment, you put on a sacred symbol of Jesus Christ. Wearing it is an outward expression of your inner commitment to follow Him. The garment is also a reminder of your temple covenants. You should wear the garment day and night throughout your life. When it must be removed for activities that cannot reasonably be done while wearing the garment, seek to restore it as soon as possible. As you keep your covenants, including the sacred privilege to wear the garment as instructed in the initiatory ordinances, you will have greater access to the Savior’s mercy, protection, strength and power.”