John L. Allen Jr.

Crux Now

John L. Allen Jr. was the editor of Crux, specializing in coverage of the Vatican and the Catholic Church, and the Rome correspondent for Angelus from 2016 to 2025.

Latest by John L. Allen Jr.

Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal walks to his seat during an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops in Paul VI hall at the Vatican in 2015.(CNS/Paul Haring)

Voices

The holdovers: A look at the John Paul/Benedict generation of the cardinals

John L. Allen Jr.|Mar 28, 2024|5 Min Read

Voices

This time, a ‘white flag’ signals the beginning of a conflict, not the end

John L. Allen Jr.|Mar 14, 2024|6 Min Read

Voices

Putting America’s complicated relationship with Pope Francis in context

John L. Allen Jr.|Mar 13, 2024|5 Min Read

Voices

In an ever more ‘saffron’ India, secularism is a Christian’s best friend

John L. Allen Jr.|Mar 7, 2024|5 Min Read

Christians hold signs as they march on the streets of Abuja during a prayer and penance for peace and security in Nigeria in Abuja on March 1, 2020. The Catholic bishops of Nigeria gathered faithful as well as other Christians and other people to pray for security and to denounce the barbaric killings of Christians by the Boko Haram insurgents and the incessant cases of kidnapping for ransom in Nigeria. (Kola Sulaimon/AFP/Getty)

World

How Nigeria became a hotbed of anti-Christian persecution

John L. Allen Jr.|Feb 5, 2024|5 Min Read

Pope Francis leads a livestreamed recitation of the Angelus last November with the help of Msgr. Paolo Braida, who read the pope’s commentary on the Sunday Gospel for him. Francis was suffering from a lung infection at the time. (CNS/Vatican Media)

Voices

A guide to the Vatican figures on the rise in 2024

John L. Allen Jr.|Jan 23, 2024|5 Min Read

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, participates in the first working session of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops in the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall Oct. 4, 2023. (CNS/Lola Gomez)

Voices

On 'Fiducia Supplicans,' how much steak lies beneath all the sizzle?

John L. Allen Jr.|Jan 6, 2024|5 Min Read

Pope Francis smiles and waves to people as he leaves Rome's Gemelli hospital early June 16, 2023, nine days after undergoing abdominal surgery. (CNS/Vatican Media)

Voices

Storylines to watch for Pope Francis in 2024

John L. Allen Jr.|Jan 5, 2024|6 Min Read

Voices

Saying goodbye to the most indispensable blog on the Vatican beat

John L. Allen Jr.|Dec 28, 2023|6 Min Read

Vatican

Beyond the usual suspects, a growing chorus is questioning papal power

John L. Allen Jr.|Dec 20, 2023|5 Min Read

Vatican

Cardinal sentenced to five and a half years in jail in Vatican ‘trial of the century’

John L. Allen Jr.|Dec 16, 2023|5 Min Read

Pope Francis gives his blessing in front of a Marian statue near the Spanish Steps in Rome on Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Roberto Gualtieri, the mayor of Rome, is at the left. (CNS/Lola Gomez)

Vatican

Is it time to worry about Pope Francis’ health? Yes and no

John L. Allen Jr.|Dec 8, 2023|5 Min Read