John L. Allen Jr. (1965–2026)
Author of Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church
About the Author
John L. Allen Jr. is the editor of Crux, specializing in coverage of the Vatican and the Catholic Church. He has written nine books on the Vatican and Catholic affairs and is a popular speaker on Catholicism both in the United States and internationally. He is a senior Vatican analyst for CNN and show more was a correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter for sixteen years. show less
Image credit: John L. Allen , Jr.
Works by John L. Allen Jr.
Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church (2005) 436 copies, 5 reviews
The Rise of Benedict XVI: The Inside Story of How the Pope was Elected and Where He Will Take the Catholic Church (2005) 225 copies, 1 review
The Future Church: How Ten Trends Are Revolutionizing the Catholic Church (2009) 172 copies, 4 reviews
Conclave: The Politics, Personalities, and Process of the Next Papal Election (2002) 120 copies, 1 review
The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church (2015) 78 copies, 3 reviews
Associated Works
Christ in the Storm: An Extraordinary Blessing for a Suffering World (2020) — Foreword — 22 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1965-01-20
- Date of death
- 2026-01-22
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Fort Hays State University (Bachelor|Philosophy)
University of Kansas (Masters|Religious studies) - Occupations
- journalism teacher
news analyst
webmaster
associate editor - Organizations
- CNN (Senior Vatican Analyst)
Boston Globe (associate editor)
CruxNow.com (webmaster)
Word on Fire Institute (St. Francis de Sales Fellow of Communication and Media)
National Catholic Reporter - Awards and honors
- University of St. Michael's College. Honorary Doctor of Sacred Letters (2011)
Lewis University. Honorary Doctor of Humanities (2015)
Saint Michael's College. Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (2015)
University of Dallas. Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (2016) - Relationships
- Allen, Elise (wife)
- Short biography
- John L. Allen Jr. (born January 20, 1965) is an American journalist and author who serves as editor of the Catholic news website Crux, formerly hosted by The Boston Globe and now independently funded. His wife, Elise, also serves as a Senior Correspondent for Crux
Before moving to The Boston Globe when Crux was established in 2014, Allen worked for 17 years in Rome as a Vatican watcher, covering the Holy See and the Pope for the National Catholic Reporter. He also serves as a Senior Vatican Analyst for CNN, and featured in broadcast coverage of the conclaves of 2005 and 2013. Allen is the St. Francis de Sales Fellow of Communication and Media at the Word on Fire Institute founded by Bishop Robert Barron. Allen is the author of numerous books about the Catholic Church.
In addition to this column and occasional other pieces for NCR, Allen's work as a journalist has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, The Tablet, Jesus, Second Opinion, The Nation, the Miami Herald, Die Furche, and the Irish Examiner. [adapted from: Wikipedia] - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Hays, Kansas, USA
Sherman Oaks, California, USA
Rome, Italy - Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
A very thorough and detailed examination of the structure, philosophy and practices of this organisation. In my view, Allen succeeds 90% in showing that fears about the organisation being a sinister, organised and reactionary force with a baleful influence on the Catholic church are grossly exaggerated or entirely fictitious. Yet at the same time some of the common practices, particularly as regards aspects of the lifestyles of the celibate numeraries such as their limited access to sources show more of information and contacts with the outside world, seem rather cultish and seem to have no real objective justification even from a religious viewpoint. A worthwhile book, clearly sympathetic to a Catholic viewpoint overall, but lacking nothing in rigourous investigation of its subject. show less
“In general, the 'Francis revolution' is being felt at the level of in-the-trenches application of doctrine rather than the doctrine itself. He’s trying to encourage the most generous, merciful, and flexible application possible, making it clear that his kind of Church wants to include rather than exclude…"
-From John L. Allen, Jr.’s “The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church"
John L. Allen writes a balanced and thorough analysis of Jorge Mario show more Bergoglio's short tenure as Pope Francis I. At times biographical, impassioned, but always journalistically focused, Allen’s new book presents Francis’ complicated reformation in ways that that even the most uninvested reader (disclosure: I’m Jewish) can absorb.
Allen details a number of themes that carried over from the last two popes and have shadowed the early days of Francis’ rule: Francis’ overall perspectives and leanings; reformation of the Vatican’s finances; where he stands on the role of women in the church; his ecclesiastical perspectives; and how he’s handled the sexual abuse scandals.
Allen gives the impression that Francis is a natural leader who early in his career found "himself thrust into unexpected positions of leadership.” I don’t get the sense that Francis sought out power and leadership roles in his youth, but as Francis points out himself, anyone who seeks leadership in the Church is exactly the person you wouldn’t want in the leadership roles.
“Francis aims to steer Catholicism back to the political and ecclesiastical center,” writes Allen. He quietly battles hard line conservative Catholics, espousing softer stances on hot button issues like homosexuality and the rigidity of liturgy and ceremony. His goal seems to be one of openness and inclusion.
"He wants the first impression people have of Catholicism not be of judgement but rather of welcome, trusting that whatever eventual verdicts the Church is compelled to deliver will be better received if they come in the context of a loving embrace. To achieve that, he knows that he needs to bring all ideological camps along with him."
- from “The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church"
Francis “wants Catholics to ‘get out of the sacristy and into the streets.'” He’s “consciously crafted symbols about the kind of Church he wants to lead: he’s sat down for chats with atheists and believers alike, called ordinary people on the phone out of the blue, even invited three homeless men and their dog to join him for a birthday breakfast.” He’s washed the feet of parishioners at local churches. This time with ‘the people’ sometimes comes at the great consternation of his coterie, including security and communicational staff.
The Pope’s explanation? He believes that “sometimes you understand reality better from the edges than from the center.”
Allen writes about the confusion over Bergoglio's political leanings in the 70s and 80s when serving in Argentina. While he was encouraging priests to spend time in the villas miserias (poor slums) around BA, some accused the future pope of not doing enough to fight against Argentina’s dirty war in the early 1970’s. During that time, Bergoglio served as superior of the Jesuits. He was even accused of turning in two of his own priests to the government which led to their prolonged imprisonment. One of those two priests has since died, but the other has firmly stated that Bergoglio was not the reason they were incarcerated, but rather a female rebel who was tortured and confessed to the priests working with the poor.
Allen relays that Begolgio said, “I am father of all, and I cannot be wrapped in a political flag.” This was quoted regarding the fact that he hadn’t voted in the compulsory elections in Argentina since the early 1960s. But due to the Right AND Left extremities that ruled Argentine violent politics in the 70’s, this is an apt quote as well.
In truth, during the dirty war, some far leftist Catholics (even several priests) were joining armed resistance movements. Bergoglio, caught between the violence espoused by both extremes of Argentina’s political wars, was trying to keep his Church moving forward, implying support for neither end of the violent political spectrum.
A cornerstone of his policy is outreach to other Christian sects including evangelicals and Orthodox. He has a good relationship with the Jewish and Muslim communities alike. "The longtime former president of the Anti-Defamation League said in 2013 that he felt as if the Jews “won the lottery” when Bergoglio was elected."
While Pope Francisco is very direct and clear of meaning in his talk, he's been less so when dealing with women in the church. “On two occasions when the pontiff has been asked about possibly admitting women to the ranks of the clergy, he’s said a firm “no”. At the same time, he has also said that he wants to see a “greater role” for women in Catholicism.” Instead of institutional changes, Allen feels that Francis is targeting a “psychologic, theological, and moral 'space”' he wants to enhance for women in the Catholic world. Women have played a tremendous role in his life, however, in his first two years as Pope, there have been “no groundbreaking new roles for women…and no new theological study was commissioned.
On some issues that have been particular social hot buttons like abortion, Francis's stance is clear - he holds the Catholic line of stringent pro life, but he avoids using a confrontational rhetoric.
His record regarding child abuse while in Argentina has not been stellar as Allen points out numerous examples of Bergoglio rebuffing requests to meet with accusers of priests in and around BA. Allen feels this is probably the most significant area for improvement
As one can imagine, Il Vaticano is rife with internal political stire. Within the 2,000 year old institution, Allen writes, Francis faces "a determination to preserve established patterns of doing business among people whose self-image and career prospects are invested in the status quo."
“In the corridors of the Vatican, the argument “this is how we’ve always done things” packs a solid punch.” According to one Church historian, “no pope of the 20th century ever experienced as much resistance."
What the book doesn’t have is interviews with the man himself. There are Francis quotes a-plenty but none came from interviews focused on the development of this work. While I still feel that Allen’s book is even-handed, I’m left wondering why the author who ‘is basically the reporter that bishops and cardinals call to find out what’s going on within the confines of the Vatican,’ didn’t have any one-on-one time with Francis for this work.
If seeking a better understand of Pope Francis himself, or looking for a glimpse of the machinations of The Vatican, this is a terrific read. Highly recommended. show less
-From John L. Allen, Jr.’s “The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church"
John L. Allen writes a balanced and thorough analysis of Jorge Mario show more Bergoglio's short tenure as Pope Francis I. At times biographical, impassioned, but always journalistically focused, Allen’s new book presents Francis’ complicated reformation in ways that that even the most uninvested reader (disclosure: I’m Jewish) can absorb.
Allen details a number of themes that carried over from the last two popes and have shadowed the early days of Francis’ rule: Francis’ overall perspectives and leanings; reformation of the Vatican’s finances; where he stands on the role of women in the church; his ecclesiastical perspectives; and how he’s handled the sexual abuse scandals.
Allen gives the impression that Francis is a natural leader who early in his career found "himself thrust into unexpected positions of leadership.” I don’t get the sense that Francis sought out power and leadership roles in his youth, but as Francis points out himself, anyone who seeks leadership in the Church is exactly the person you wouldn’t want in the leadership roles.
“Francis aims to steer Catholicism back to the political and ecclesiastical center,” writes Allen. He quietly battles hard line conservative Catholics, espousing softer stances on hot button issues like homosexuality and the rigidity of liturgy and ceremony. His goal seems to be one of openness and inclusion.
"He wants the first impression people have of Catholicism not be of judgement but rather of welcome, trusting that whatever eventual verdicts the Church is compelled to deliver will be better received if they come in the context of a loving embrace. To achieve that, he knows that he needs to bring all ideological camps along with him."
- from “The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church"
Francis “wants Catholics to ‘get out of the sacristy and into the streets.'” He’s “consciously crafted symbols about the kind of Church he wants to lead: he’s sat down for chats with atheists and believers alike, called ordinary people on the phone out of the blue, even invited three homeless men and their dog to join him for a birthday breakfast.” He’s washed the feet of parishioners at local churches. This time with ‘the people’ sometimes comes at the great consternation of his coterie, including security and communicational staff.
The Pope’s explanation? He believes that “sometimes you understand reality better from the edges than from the center.”
Allen writes about the confusion over Bergoglio's political leanings in the 70s and 80s when serving in Argentina. While he was encouraging priests to spend time in the villas miserias (poor slums) around BA, some accused the future pope of not doing enough to fight against Argentina’s dirty war in the early 1970’s. During that time, Bergoglio served as superior of the Jesuits. He was even accused of turning in two of his own priests to the government which led to their prolonged imprisonment. One of those two priests has since died, but the other has firmly stated that Bergoglio was not the reason they were incarcerated, but rather a female rebel who was tortured and confessed to the priests working with the poor.
Allen relays that Begolgio said, “I am father of all, and I cannot be wrapped in a political flag.” This was quoted regarding the fact that he hadn’t voted in the compulsory elections in Argentina since the early 1960s. But due to the Right AND Left extremities that ruled Argentine violent politics in the 70’s, this is an apt quote as well.
In truth, during the dirty war, some far leftist Catholics (even several priests) were joining armed resistance movements. Bergoglio, caught between the violence espoused by both extremes of Argentina’s political wars, was trying to keep his Church moving forward, implying support for neither end of the violent political spectrum.
A cornerstone of his policy is outreach to other Christian sects including evangelicals and Orthodox. He has a good relationship with the Jewish and Muslim communities alike. "The longtime former president of the Anti-Defamation League said in 2013 that he felt as if the Jews “won the lottery” when Bergoglio was elected."
While Pope Francisco is very direct and clear of meaning in his talk, he's been less so when dealing with women in the church. “On two occasions when the pontiff has been asked about possibly admitting women to the ranks of the clergy, he’s said a firm “no”. At the same time, he has also said that he wants to see a “greater role” for women in Catholicism.” Instead of institutional changes, Allen feels that Francis is targeting a “psychologic, theological, and moral 'space”' he wants to enhance for women in the Catholic world. Women have played a tremendous role in his life, however, in his first two years as Pope, there have been “no groundbreaking new roles for women…and no new theological study was commissioned.
On some issues that have been particular social hot buttons like abortion, Francis's stance is clear - he holds the Catholic line of stringent pro life, but he avoids using a confrontational rhetoric.
His record regarding child abuse while in Argentina has not been stellar as Allen points out numerous examples of Bergoglio rebuffing requests to meet with accusers of priests in and around BA. Allen feels this is probably the most significant area for improvement
As one can imagine, Il Vaticano is rife with internal political stire. Within the 2,000 year old institution, Allen writes, Francis faces "a determination to preserve established patterns of doing business among people whose self-image and career prospects are invested in the status quo."
“In the corridors of the Vatican, the argument “this is how we’ve always done things” packs a solid punch.” According to one Church historian, “no pope of the 20th century ever experienced as much resistance."
What the book doesn’t have is interviews with the man himself. There are Francis quotes a-plenty but none came from interviews focused on the development of this work. While I still feel that Allen’s book is even-handed, I’m left wondering why the author who ‘is basically the reporter that bishops and cardinals call to find out what’s going on within the confines of the Vatican,’ didn’t have any one-on-one time with Francis for this work.
If seeking a better understand of Pope Francis himself, or looking for a glimpse of the machinations of The Vatican, this is a terrific read. Highly recommended. show less
I am not a Catholic, although I was brought up in that religion. For all intents and purposes I left the church at age 14 for a long list of reasons. Ironically, i ended up marrying a man who spent several years in a Catholic boarding school in preparation for becoming a brother of the church. He left the school, and somehow we ended up together. For years, he wanted our children to be brought up to be Catholic, but they eventually followed my path out of Catholicism .
This, however has not show more kept me from having a keen interest in the Vatican and the shenanigans to be found therein. Over the years, I have not been disappointed by any lack of said shenanigans. Then Pope Benedict XVI resigned. That certainly piqued my interest! With a splendid one two punch Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis on March 13, 2013, when he was named the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, and chose his papal name to honor St. Francis of Assisi of Italy. Pope Francis is the first Pope from the American continent, having been born in Argentina. From the first moment that he stepped onto the balcony, I knew that interesting times were ahead.
Although he had been considered a conservative, he has proven himself to be a reformer, in many way. He wants Catholics to" get out of the sacristy and into the streets" and has become an amazing example of how this can and should be done. For instance, he lives outside of the palace known as The Vatican. Instead he makes his home in a suite of rooms in the opted to remain in the Casa Santa Marta, a Vatican residence where he and the other Cardinals had stayed during the conclave. He says that he prefers living there, as he feels that he is part of a family, eats in the refectory and celebrates Mass where he is more visible to the people.
He has rocked the Papal boat a time or two. . . or more. He was widely reported to have said that it is not up to him to judge those who are gay, but wants to welcome them back to the church. This prompted the LGBR magazine The Advocate to name him their 2013 Man of the Year, and got him the cover o the magazine.
His stance on women in the church has been somewhat less liberal, and he has basically taken the idea of women in the priesthood off the table. The Pope has even gone so far as to excommunicate Australian priest Greg Reynolds who advocated for women in the priesthood and gay rights. This sends a mixed message, as far as I'm concerned. Although he is considered to be a reform pope, apparently he is still willing to go only so far.
Francis has become known as the Peace Pope, after showing that he is not afraid to put his 2¢ into the political arena. For instance we learn about his visit to Syria and the subsequent Saturday, September 7th, 2013 Day of Prayer when he led an hours long prayer vigil at the Vatican.
These things, and many others are addressed between the covers of this book. The author is a journalist, and the information is presented in a very journalistic, only the facts manner. Still, it was very interesting and I feel that i now have a more well rounded idea of what this pope is up to, and have more information with which to for form an opinion of my own. show less
This, however has not show more kept me from having a keen interest in the Vatican and the shenanigans to be found therein. Over the years, I have not been disappointed by any lack of said shenanigans. Then Pope Benedict XVI resigned. That certainly piqued my interest! With a splendid one two punch Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis on March 13, 2013, when he was named the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, and chose his papal name to honor St. Francis of Assisi of Italy. Pope Francis is the first Pope from the American continent, having been born in Argentina. From the first moment that he stepped onto the balcony, I knew that interesting times were ahead.
Although he had been considered a conservative, he has proven himself to be a reformer, in many way. He wants Catholics to" get out of the sacristy and into the streets" and has become an amazing example of how this can and should be done. For instance, he lives outside of the palace known as The Vatican. Instead he makes his home in a suite of rooms in the opted to remain in the Casa Santa Marta, a Vatican residence where he and the other Cardinals had stayed during the conclave. He says that he prefers living there, as he feels that he is part of a family, eats in the refectory and celebrates Mass where he is more visible to the people.
He has rocked the Papal boat a time or two. . . or more. He was widely reported to have said that it is not up to him to judge those who are gay, but wants to welcome them back to the church. This prompted the LGBR magazine The Advocate to name him their 2013 Man of the Year, and got him the cover o the magazine.
His stance on women in the church has been somewhat less liberal, and he has basically taken the idea of women in the priesthood off the table. The Pope has even gone so far as to excommunicate Australian priest Greg Reynolds who advocated for women in the priesthood and gay rights. This sends a mixed message, as far as I'm concerned. Although he is considered to be a reform pope, apparently he is still willing to go only so far.
Francis has become known as the Peace Pope, after showing that he is not afraid to put his 2¢ into the political arena. For instance we learn about his visit to Syria and the subsequent Saturday, September 7th, 2013 Day of Prayer when he led an hours long prayer vigil at the Vatican.
These things, and many others are addressed between the covers of this book. The author is a journalist, and the information is presented in a very journalistic, only the facts manner. Still, it was very interesting and I feel that i now have a more well rounded idea of what this pope is up to, and have more information with which to for form an opinion of my own. show less
The Rise of Benedict XVI: The Inside Story of How the Pope Was Elected and Where He Will Take the Catholic Church by John L. Allen Jr.
4497. The Rise of Benedict XVI The Inside Story of How the Pope Was Elected and Where He Will Take the Catholic Church, by John L. Allen, Jr. (read 14 Oct 2008) This 2005 book by the very able National Catholic Reporter Rome correspondent is an informative account of the last days of John Paul II and of the conclave which elected the new Pope in April 2005. One has the impression that Allen has done a careful and good job in his account of the conclave and of the four ballots which it took show more to elect the new Pope. He does not attempt to give a biography of Benedict, but does essay to predict what he will be like as Pope. I think that Benedict has turned out not to be the rigorous conservative that some expected, but has proven to be more pastoral than some, including Allen, predicted. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 23
- Also by
- 2
- Members
- 1,682
- Popularity
- #15,283
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 22
- ISBNs
- 75
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- 9