About the Author

John L. Allen Jr. is associate editor of The Boston Globe after 16 years as the prize-winning Senior Correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter. He also serves as the Senior Vatican Analyst for CNN. He's the author of seven best-selling books on the Vatican and Catholic affairs, and writes frequently on the Church for major national and international publications. He's also a popular speaker on Catholic affairs, both in the United States and abroad. His weekly internet column, "All Things Catholic," is widely read as a source of insight on the global Church. John divides his time between Rome and his home in Denver, Colorado. He grew up in Western Kansas, and holds a Master's degree in Religious Studies from the University of Kansas.

Reviews

Praise for John L. Allen, Jr.
 
THE FUTURE CHURCH
“John Allen is the English-speaking world’s most informed, most insightful and most balanced commentator on the Roman Catholic Church today. Allen consistently offers richly textured reportage that refuses to opt for the superficial take on church events. His extensive travels across the globe, his years cultivating relationships among theologians, local church leaders and Vatican officials, his genuine curiosity regarding the manifold factors, apparent and hidden, that shape church events—all have uniquely equipped him to produce his most recent volume.….Allen’s book offers the reader a compelling account of the challenges and possibilities that lie before the Catholic Church in this still young century. Those who are invested in its future will find it an indispensable resource.” -America
 
“A thoughtful, well-argued, well-written book.” –Winnepeg Free Press
 
“Perceptive, evenhanded, thought provoking, horizon expanding, remarkably well informed” –National Catholic Reporter
 

ALL THE POPE’S MEN
“[A] superb book” —Chicago Sun-Times
 
“An exceedingly valuable book.” —Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, First Things
 

CONCLAVE
“An invaluable primer . . . highly informative.” —Washington Post
 
“Definitely a winner.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
“It’s surprising how much you learn from this book . . . [Allen] explain[s] the process in an engaging way, and offers history, context and his own list of front-runners.” —Arizona Republic