Could Father Mychal Judge Be the First Gay Saint?
For Slate, Ruth Graham writes about the efforts to canonize the late Father Mychal Judge, a fire department chaplain who died in the north tower of the World Trade Center in 9/11. Judge, who identified as a celibate gay man, also spent his career supporting gay individuals who were exiled from the church. Graham writes, “At a time when some doctors were still afraid to touch or even treat AIDS patients, Judge cradled dying men in his arms, administered the Eucharist and the last rites, spoke at their funerals, and comforted their families and friends.” Salvatore Sapienza, a gay pastor who worked with Judge before leaving the Catholic Church says that canonization would “bring Mychal to millions more people.” Sapienza also said that Judge “love being Catholic,” but he also “love being gay.”