Lau’s letter follows a similar statement by MARCHA (Methodists Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic/Latino Americans), the denomination’s Hispanic and Latino caucus, asking for the bishops to take up the case and reinstate Carcaño.

However, on May 1, the bishops as well as agency leaders heard from a different group of United Methodists calling themselves the Cal-Nev Alliance for Justice and Transparency. More than 80 California-Nevada clergy, many of them also people of color, signed the group’s letter urging bishops to let the complaint remain in the Western Jurisdiction’s hands.

Returning Carcaño to active service without a just resolution or the findings of a church trial, the letter said, “would create a depth of conflict and division that could undermine the mission and ministry of the Annual Conference for years to come.”

Carcaño, the denomination’s first Latina bishop whom the Western Jurisdiction elected in 2004, is among The United Methodist Church’s more well-known episcopal leaders. She has gained national recognition in the U.S. and respect across the denomination for her advocacy work on behalf of migrants and U.S. immigration reform. She recently led the denomination’s Task Force on Immigration.

Both the length of her suspension and the lack of public details about the accusations she faces have led to some very public pushback as well as concerns about whether she is receiving due process. 

In March, the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women — which advocates for the full inclusion of women in church life — requested to serve as a monitor as the bishop’s case is being adjudicated. 

Just before the bishops’ meeting, the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race — which advocates for racial equity in church life — released a statement urging the Western Jurisdiction to lift Carcaño’s suspension in 30 days. The commission also asked that within 30 days, the jurisdiction’s leaders issue their own statement explaining the general nature of the charges the bishop faces.

Leaders of the Western Jurisdiction and the two agencies have been in communication, but efforts to monitor the situation remain a work in progress.

Associates in Advocacy, which provides assistance to clergy under complaint and advocates for clarity of church law, also issued a statement during its meeting, calling for the Council of Bishops to ensure fair process.

“Associates in Advocacy urges all persons responsible for handling of the administrative, judicial, and pastoral processes to promptly seek a just resolution, which is the primary purpose of any complaint process,” the group’s statement said.

The California-Nevada clergy alliance, in its letter, said that it, too, is eager to see justice done.

“However, those advocating for an immediate end to Bishop Carcaño’s suspension, do so by their own admission without any objective awareness as to why the suspension was implemented,” the letter said. “To expedite this process, absent this awareness, is irresponsible, reckless, and does harm to faith in our systems of accountability.”

Various groups are going public with their advocacy now because The United Methodist Church’s top court has opened the door for the Council of Bishops to intercede in complaints against their colleagues.

Historically, a complaint that a bishop is ineffective or guilty of a chargeable offense has been handled entirely within the church region where the bishop was elected. That means adjudication happens within an accused U.S. bishop’s jurisdiction or within an accused African, European or Filipino bishop’s central conference.