[irish guard]

"Few men in the past 50 years have done more damage to the Catholic Church in America than Fr Hesburgh, whether he thought he was doing what was best or whether he had vile purpose."

Please.....let's start with whether you think he had an intentional vile purpose. Produce one. And I will say to anyone, the most damage anyone did to the Catholic church in the last 50 years are the priests who preyed upon innocent young people. You may not like what he did or said, but it does not rival pedophelia. His walking out in 1972 related to academic independence. Your edited text makes it sound as though he was Martin Luther. And please provide evidence of Hesburgh favoring abortion. Finally, Hesburgh hasn't been president of Notre Dame for more than 28 years, when he retired. So whatever happened since then was not on his watch.

[jobim]

whether you think he had an intentional vile purpose

No, my statement left open the possibility he thought he was doing the right thing. But then, when we cease forming our conscience in conjunction with the Church's Magisterium, then we go astray.

His walking out in 1972 related to academic independence

Precisely. Are you going to argue that Notre Dame, DePaul, the Loyolas, Santa Clara, Fordham, Georgetown, on and on are truly Catholic? And are you going to argue that Hesburgh did not play a large role in their secularization?

evidence of Hesburgh favoring abortion

Are you going to argue that his "personally opposed but favoring access" is anything other than unlimited slaughter with a "Catholic" imprimatur?