MICAH News
On May 8, 2025 in the Catholic Church, Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the first US-born pontiff Thursday and will be known as Pope Leo XIV. Before being elected to this role, Pope Leo XIV spent most of his ministry in Peru, one of the largest host countries in Latin America for refugees. His papal name, Leo, is widely associated with the social justice legacy of Pope Leo XIII. He is expected to continue much of Pope Francis’s reforms in the Catholic Church.
Prayer: God of all wisdom and mercy, we lift our prayers for Pope Leo XIV as he steps into this sacred role of leadership. May his papacy reflect the compassion of Christ, the justice of your prophets, and the courage of those who walk with the marginalized. Holy Spirit, as you guide him in his new ministry, may we, too, be strengthened to walk alongside him in the shared work of justice, healing, and liberation.
MICAH’s Question Of The Month: How would you define apartheid?
Look for MICAH’s answer next Herald, along with a new question of the month for reflection.
Remembering the Nakba event:
On Saturday, May 10, about 50-60 people gathered at Bridge Square to learn of the Palestinian catastrophe on May 15,1948 when over 400 Palestinian villages were depopulated and razed. 750,000 displaced people have not been allowed to return. This ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians from their homes continues today. During the event on May 10, the names of these villages were read and as each name was read, a bell was rung, and those attending were invited to participate in placing a small flag on a large map on the location of one of the villages. This year was the 12th year for this remembrance ceremony, where there has always been Methodist involvement. One first time attendee commented, "The Nakba event was meaningful and inspiring. I'm happy to have experienced it." NAKBA EVENT PHOTOS courtesy Tim Freeland
Pilgrimage for Palestine Walk:
Dozens of Northfielders including MICAH members participated in the Pilgrimage for Palestine Walk in downtown Northfield on April 19th. There were around sixty people of all ages that took part. We walked along Highway 3, the long and short of Division Street, and generally made our presence known with no small supply of signs, songs, and horn honking. As always we wished that legions of people had taken part, but we’re not discouraged. MICAH has been faithfully represented at several demonstrations and ceremonies recently. PILGRIMAGE EVENT PHOTOS courtesy Bruce Benson
MICAH’S advocacy work aligns with the UMC REVISED SOCIAL PRINCIPLES
The Social Principles as adopted by General Conference Charlotte, 2024, will officially take effect January 1, 2025. Cokesbury Publishing, the United Methodist publishing house will print the updated, official UMC Social Principles booklet in June 2025.
UMC Revised Social Principles: The Political Community
A. Church and Governments
We reject governmental use of threats, extortion, unlawful detentions, extrajudicial killings, and other forms of coercion to silence political opponents and those objecting to unlawful or immoral government policies and practices. In keeping with international laws and ordinances, we vehemently protest the use of torture, slavery, genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression by any government and call for the strictest international sanctions to be imposed in such cases.
While we do not believe churches should affiliate with particular political parties, we do encourage churches to speak out boldly on social issues from a Gospel perspective. We further believe churches have a right and a responsibility to educate and equip their members to be effective advocates for justice in the wider world.
“The newly adopted Social Principles were produced as a teachable document that is for all United Methodists,” said Bishop Sally Dyck, GBCS Board Chair, “It is for Sunday school classes, preaching from the pulpit, for seminary classes and as a guide for all of us to use right now.”