Publisher of Catholic magazine forced to resign

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Originally published 11:48 p.m., September 21, 2004, updated 12:00 a.m., September 22, 2004

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Deal Hudson, publisher of Crisis magazine and, until recently, a top Bush political adviser on outreach to Roman Catholics, will resign from the magazine at the end of the year after five of his most influential columnists pressured the board to get rid of him.

The columnists, who include some of the nation's best-known Catholic scholars, told the board in a letter that they would leave the magazine unless the board ejected Mr. Hudson, 54.

According to two scholars familiar with the letter, the columnists were angry about an Aug. 19 National Catholic Reporter (NCR) expose on Mr. Hudson's sexual liaison with an 18-year-old student in 1994, an action that cost him his tenured professorship at Fordham University and a $30,000 settlement.

In addition, specific accusations of more recent sexual misconduct had come to the board's attention, one scholar said.

"This was not about one incident 10 years ago," he said. "It's surprising it was held down as long as it was. I haven't gone out of my way to track Deal Hudson's improprieties -- I could be doing nothing else. But you began to wonder after a while if they are true."

The five columnists include the two founding editors of the magazine: Michael Novak of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research and University of Notre Dame philosophy professor Ralph McInerny.

The other columnists were Claremont University political science professor Michael Uhlmann; Faith & Reason Institute President Robert Royal; and Russell Hittinger, professor of Catholic studies at the University of Tulsa.

"He withdrew from being an adviser to the White House, so one could conclude he should leave Crisis," Mr. McInerny said. "If his presence had a negative effect on a Catholic campaign effort, certainly it'd affect a Catholic magazine."

Mr. Hudson issued a press release yesterday afternoon, saying he would direct book publishing and seminars for the newly formed Morley Institute, part of the Morley Publishing Group that owns Crisis. In a separate e-mail to supporters, Mr. Hudson said he will help raise funds for Crisis at his new post, which he will assume Jan. 1.

In the e-mail last night, Mr. Hudson said the decision to step down as publisher was his and that he told the Crisis board of his plans on Friday. Still, Mr. Hudson acknowledged that he was "tired of being a lightning rod."

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