Permission Required: Update to FamilySearch

I have been waiting for this update to FamilySearch for a few months and I happened upon it yesterday. This update is for those who have LDS account access to FamilySearch as it pertains to temple ordinances. At the end of this blog post is a link to a video about Latter-day Saint Temples and their purpose and why we participate in ordinances on behalf of our deceased family members. I encourage you to watch this video.

Now, on to what I discovered yesterday. When I select the "Person page" for a relative who was born within the past 110 years and select the "Ordinances" tab, I now see this highlighted notification. 

"When a person was born within 110 years, policy requires that you be a close living relative to reserve his or her ordinances. A close relative is a spouse, parent, child, or sibling. To do this person's ordinances you must request permission through FamilySearch. Please be prepared to document your relationship to the person with permission from a close relative."

The language "you must request permission through FamilySearch" and "please be prepared to document your relationship" and "with permission from a close relative" is all new language.

I clicked on the "View My Relationship" link under the relative's name.

The following screen opened up to show my relationship to this individual. He is my grand-uncle. I am not one of the closest living relatives and I will need permission from either a spouse, parent, child, or sibling of my grand-uncle.

Under "Effective Ordinances" I clicked on "Request Ordinances".

Again I get the same notification as stated above.

I clicked on the "Request Permission" link within the "Permission Required" box and I get this new screen.

The program has already identified that I am not a close relative. Notice the language at the beginning of the page: "Because you are not a close relative (a spouse, parent, child, or sibling) and he or she was born less than 110 years ago, the reservation request needs to be reviewed. When the review is completed, you will be contacted. All fields on the form must be completed to submit."

I already know my relationship to the deceased. Clifford is my grand-uncle.

Notice the language under the box describing my relationship: "By submitting this form, you are certifying that you have received permission from a close living relative (a spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the deceased) to perform these temple ordinances. Please provide the name, contact information, and relationship to the deceased of the one granting permission. FamilySearch reserves the right to contact the person granting permission, if necessary."

In the following box I need to provide the name and contact information of the person granting permission and their relationship to the deceased. FamilySearch may use this information to contact the person granting permission. All boxes have to be complete before the Submit button will be activated for selecting. 

Since I have not yet reached out to the closest family members, I cannot complete this page. I do not know how long the review process takes, nor what the contact process is like to be notified if I am able to complete these ordinances.

LOOPHOLE:

I did notice that if I ignore the "Permission Required" box and just click on the big blue "Request" button, I am taken to this page. Which is the current Church Policy for requesting temple ordinances. 

This page no longer has check boxes for me to indicate that I am the closest relative or I have permission from the closest relative. I do not know if the assumption is being made that if I just click on the "Request" button that I'm the closest relative? I am concerned that members may just ignore the "Permission Required" box and the new requesting permission process and just request the ordinances. I wonder if this new process is not yet complete?

What are your thoughts? Please share in the comment section below.

Enjoy this video about LDS Temples: