Editing Mychal Judge (section)

===Canonization debate===
Several organizations have proposed to the Vatican a possible [[canonization]], to which the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York|Archdiocese of New York]] and the [[Third Order of Saint Francis|Franciscan Third Order]] have not given clear answers. However, Christian denominations that are not in communion with Rome have canonized him, recognizing him as a saint and a martyr<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Mychal Judge |url=http://www.reformedcatholic.org/st-mychal-judge |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=The Reformed Catholic Church |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-06-29 |title=Saints of the Orthodox-Catholic Church of America |url=http://www.orthodoxcatholicchurch.org/saints.html |access-date=2022-08-12 |archive-date=2010-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629155713/http://www.orthodoxcatholicchurch.org/saints.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> while his tomb, in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery of Totowa, has been becoming a kind of "informal sanctuary".<ref name=":0" /> 

While there is an active campaign to open his cause of beatification (the first step to canonization), there remains a controversy over his illicit sexual activity (despite his vow of chastity) and his disobedience towards Church hierarchy regarding certain circumstances which has represented a serious obstacle to his being named a saint.

The fact that Judge had a homosexual orientation is likely to be an impediment to beatification. Postulators have argued that there are precedents of saints and openly LGBT martyrs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Ruth |date=2017-09-11 |title=Father Mychal Judge Was a 9/11 Hero. Could He Also Become the First Gay Saint? |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/09/father-mychal-judge-was-a-9-11-hero-could-he-also-become-the-first-gay-saint.html |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=Slate Magazine |language=en}}</ref> Recently, in 2021, 20 years after his death, an official cause has been initiated, but without the official support of the Archdiocese of New York, but from an independent postulator, the Rv. Luis Fernando Escalante, directly in charge of the cause in Rome.<ref>{{Cite web |title=It's Time to Canonize Fr. Mychal Judge |url=https://www.newwaysministry.org/advocate/time-canonize-fr-mychal-judge/ |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=New Ways Ministry |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812122357/https://www.newwaysministry.org/advocate/time-canonize-fr-mychal-judge/ |url-status=live }}</ref>