John L. Allen Jr., editor of Crux, a daily digital and independent news service covering all things Catholic, received CNEWA’s Faith & Culture Award at a reception in Rome.
The event featured a briefing of selected members of “Vaticanisti,” writers and journalists who cover the bishop of Rome and the Catholic Church.
Moderated by CNEWA trustee Amanda Bowman, the briefing included Allen and his wife, Elise Ann, Crux senior Rome correspondent; Cindy Wooden, Rome bureau chief of Catholic News Service; William Cash, former editor of the Catholic Herald in London and veteran journalist; and The Wall Street Journal’s Margherita Stancati.
The theme of the discussion focused on the changing priorities of the church in a volatile world and how the pastoral vision of Pope Francis has positioned this conclave differently from the last.
A Kansas native, Allen studied philosophy as an undergraduate and later earned a graduate degree in religious studies at the University of Kansas.
He taught media and journalism at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, before joining the staff of the National Catholic Reporter, where he became the national independent Catholic newspaper’s lead reporter covering the Holy See and the Vatican.
He joined CNN as senior Vatican analyst while continuing his work at NCR, reporting on the death of Pope John Paul II and the ensuing transition and election of Pope Benedict XVI.
He later joined The Boston Globe, which launched Crux, now independent and in media partnerships with Word on Fire Ministries, De Sales Media and the Angelus.
Allen has received a number of honorary doctorates, including a doctorate in letters from the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto.
He is the author of a number of books and conversations in book form, including one with CNEWA’s chair of its international board of trustees, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, archbishop of New York.
CNEWA President Peter I. Vaccari, in presenting the award to Allen, noted that “one media observer — and perhaps not the only — described Allen’s objective reporting and analysis without revealing his own opinion as, ‘maddening’.”
“For his maddening ability to report on all things Catholic in the pursuit of truth, clarity and accountability, CNEWA is pleased to give its Faith & Culture Award to John L. Allen Jr.”
Sponsored by Peter’s Way Tours and the Kolbe Hotel, the reception was held on Monday, 28 April, at the Kolbe Hotel, adjacent to the Roman Forum, where according to ancient tradition, Rome was founded.