Yes, but he was still the same person. We must assume that Vere didn't know about the sexual attacks on novice seminarians, but he did take his direction from a man who was in fact committing these attacks, and who was the kind of man who would do these things, since he did in fact do them. Moreover, his liturgical destruction was public knowledge. His visits to American diocese were well-publicized events. His private life may have been unknown, but no one could claim to be unaware of his public life.
As most North American canonists are aware, his mentor was more of a liturgical libertarian than a liturgical liberal.
Is this supposed to be a good thing? Sorry, but that is not traditional Catholicism by any means. Ultimately in the long run ,"liturgical libertarianism" is bound to be just as destructive as "liturgical liberalism," even if some small quotient of traditionalism is mixed in. And it causes more intellectual confusion. Better to have a clear distinction -- and a clear choice -- between tradition and liberalism.
VERY interesting. Do you have a cc. of the opinion?