It should be pointed out that civil suit for divorce and
Bahá'í divorce are two entirely different matters. . . . Recourse to the civil
authority is only for the purpose of giving legal sanction to the divorce.
- The Universal House of Justice (Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, dated July 18,
1973; compilation: Developing Distinctive Baha’i Communities, NSA of USA, 1998
edition)