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Admirers still urging sainthood for chaplain killed on 9/11 (Fr. Mychal Judge)

Some of his many admirers point to Judge — a gay man who devoted himself to ministering to vulnerable populations such as the homeless or people with HIV/AIDS — as a reason for the U.S. Catholic Church to be more welcoming to LGBTQ people.

And some argue passionately that Judge should be considered for sainthood, with a new initiative to be launched in the coming days. Though Judge’s religious order has not embraced that cause, a Rome-based priest who helps the Vatican investigate possible candidates for canonization is urging Judge’s supporters not to give up the effort.

Judge died in the line of duty two decades ago after hurrying with firefighter colleagues to the burning World Trade Center. As he prayed in the north tower’s lobby for the rescuers and victims, the 68-year-old priest was crushed by debris from the falling south tower.

“Mychal Judge shows us that you can be gay and holy,” said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest who advocates for greater LGBTQ inclusion in the church.

"How much of that shitty deal did you sell to your clients?" - Sen. Carl Levin (1934-2021)

Inuk leader Mary Simon named first Indigenous Governor-General of Canada

Mary Simon, an Inuk woman and experienced leader, has been appointed the new Governor-General of Canada – the first Indigenous person to serve as the Queen’s representative.

Ms. Simon is assuming the role at a time when the country is particularly focused on the issue of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, after multiple recent discoveries of hundreds of unmarked graves at former residential schools. For more than 120 years the institutions housed Indigenous children who had been being forcibly removed from their homes, subjecting them to religious instruction and harsh treatment in order to eradicate their languages and cultures, as documented by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

At the announcement of her appointment in Gatineau, Que., Tuesday, Ms. Simon said that, as an Indigenous person, she understands “that there is pain and suffering across our nation.

“We need to stop to fully recognize and memorialize and come to terms with the atrocities of our collective past that we are learning more about each day,” she said. “But when I was asked whether I would take on this important role, I was very excited and I felt that this was a position that would help Canadians together with Indigenous peoples.”

Voicing 'affection' for Americans, Francis meets US Secretary of State Blinken

The pontiff accorded U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken a substantial chunk of time, especially in view of a government official who isn't a national leader.

The audience in the Apostolic Palace "played out in a cordial atmosphere," a Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said. "It lasted about 40 minutes, and it was for the pope, the occasion to recall his 2015 visit and to express his affection and his attention to the people of the United States of America."

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Earlier at the Vatican, Blinken on Monday received VIP treatment, getting a private tour of the Sistine Chapel before he sat down for closed-door talks with Francis.

Blinken was the first high-level official of Biden's administration to have a private audience with the pontiff.

FLOTUS: Champ has died

Reminder: Estimated taxes are still due tomorrow. The May 17 deadline only applies to 2020 returns.

While the IRS and many states recently postponed the tax filing deadline to May 17, that only applies to 2020 tax returns.

Your 2021 first-quarter tax payment is still due tomorrow, April 15.

There's a lot more detailed info on the IRS website, but you can avoid estimated tax penalties in one of two ways:

1. Figure out your total tax for 2021, divide it by four, and give the IRS at least 90% of that amount. The caveat is that if you only pay 90% of your estimated taxes, you'll probably still owe something when you file next year.

2. Figure out your total tax for 2020 (line 24 of your 1040) and give the IRS 1/4 of that amount. The caveat here is that your 2021 and 2020 taxes might be quite a bit different; if this year's tax is higher, then you could still be in for a big bill when you file your 2021 return next spring (on top of your estimated payment for Q1 2022).

You might find form 1040-ES helpful, but it's not required.

If your employer, pension administrator, broker, etc. withheld federal income taxes between January 1 and March 31, then that counts toward your Q1 payment (only your federal withholding - not your Social Security or Medicare withholdings).

State estimated taxes are another story altogether.

Pope Francis appoints a woman with the right to vote as undersecretary of the synod of bishops

Breaking with tradition and opening a new door in the synodal process, Pope Francis has appointed a woman, Nathalie Becquart, a member of the Xavière Sisters, Missionaries of Jesus Christ, in France, as one of two new undersecretaries of the synod of bishops. As such, she will have the right to vote in the synod. It is the first time this right has been given to a woman in the synod and raises the prospect that the right could be extended to other women participants at future synods.

Some have questioned whether Sister Nathalie will have the right to vote in the synod, but sources contacted by America point to two reasons for confirming this. First, the apostolic constitution “Episcopalis Communio,” promulgated by Pope Francis on Sept. 15, 2018, states, “The General Secretary and the Undersecretary are appointed by the Roman Pontiff and are members of the Synod Assembly” (Art. 22, No. 3). The members have the right to vote. Second, in an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary general of the synod, speaks in Italian of her “possibilità di partecipare con diritto di voto,” which properly translated to English means “she can participate with the right to vote.”
As the other undersecretary of the synod, Pope Francis appointed a Spanish priest, Luis Marín de San Martín, O.S.A., the assistant general of the Augustinian order, and nominated him bishop.

Pope Francis’ nomination of Sister Nathalie to this position is another affirmation of his determination to appoint women to senior positions in the Vatican that do not require priestly ordination. Commenting on this appointment, Cardinal Grech recalled that “during the last synods numerous synodal fathers emphasized the need that the entire Church reflect on the place and role of women within the Church.” He said Pope Francis has frequently “highlighted the importance that women be more involved in the processes of discernment and decision making in the Church” and has increased the number of women participating as experts or auditors in the synods.

Cross-shaped solar array lights up Mundelein Seminary for New Year

The Christmas star shining over Mundelein, Illinois, this season was the sun, as a 300-kilowatt solar energy project went into commercial operation Dec. 25 on the campus of the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

The project was inspired by Pope Francis' encyclical "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," as well as by Cardinal Blase Cupich, who as leader of the Chicago Archdiocese has stressed the importance of energy efficiency, university president and seminary rector Fr. John Kartje told EarthBeat.

It is the first solar energy generating plant on a U.S. Catholic seminary campus and the first in the Chicago Archdiocese, according to a statement from the university.

Because the once-rural campus includes some 1,300 acres of land, and solar technology has become both more economical and more efficient, Kartje and other administrators decided to look seriously at the possibility that the school could generate some of its own power.