religion John Allen Jr.: The Man Who Picked the Pope By David Von DrehleMarch 14, 20130 Share Read Later Send to Kindle When a shy little man in tinted eyeglasses walked onto the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square and bestowed his first wave as Pope Francis, journalists around the world began frantically web-surfing. All but one. John Allen Jr. had already written an expansive profile of the Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, the humble Jesuit Jorge Mario Bergoglio. While the rest of the journalistic pack was focused on the Italian Cardinal Scola, the Brazilian Cardinal Scherer, and the Canadian Cardinal Ouellet, the Vatican expert for the National Catholic Reporter recalled the man who finished second in the balloting the last time a pope was chosen: The general consensus is that Bergoglio was indeed the “runner-up” last time around. He appealed to conservatives in the College of Cardinals as a man who had held the line against liberalizing currents among the Jesuits, and to moderates as a symbol of the church’s commitment to the developing world. The fact that Allen, virtually alone, gave props in advance to the eventual pope was a vindication of his own hard-won expertise in covering one of the world’s most opaque bureaucracies. It was also marked a red-letter day for one of the most interesting, and unusual, newspapers in America. (MORE: Viewpoint: New Pope Inspires Less Hope Than We Hoped) The National Catholic Reporter is a global powerhouse headquartered in a red-brick building in urban Kansas City, Missouri. It was founded in 1964 by veteran religion reporter Robert Hoyt, who believed that the largest church in the world should be covered by an independent newspaper. In the early days, the Kansas City diocese provided free office space to the fledgling endeavor. (PHOTOS: Pope and Circumstance: the Road to the Papacy) That didn’t last long. Ablaze with the modernizing spirit that was lit by the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s, the NCR was soon reporting aggressively on rotten timber in the universal church, and editorializing on issues like birth control and priestly celibacy. It’s first big scoop came in 1967, when the newspaper got its hands on reports from the secret commission set up by Pope Paul VI to examine the church’s doctrine on contraception. Translated from Latin, the documents showed that the papal commission was in favor of modernizing the church’s position; instead, the Pope reaffirmed the ancient teachings against artificial birth control. The subject has split Catholics ever since. The following year, the bishop of the Kansas City diocese, Charles Herman Helmsing, issued a formal denunciation of the NCR, and asserted darkly that the reporters and editors were almost certainly guilty of offenses that could lead to excommunication. But the newspaper sailed on bravely. Internal squabbles drove Hoyt away, but he and his successors at the top of the NCR shared a knack for finding talent. An early hire as managing editor was Jim Andrews, who left to co-found the newspaper syndication group that gave the world “Doonesbury,” “Calvin and Hobbes,” “The Far Side,” and other classic comic strips and columns. Writers for the NCR have included such superstars of liberal religious journalism as Garry Wills, Martin Marty, and Thomas Reese. (MORE: Pope Francis’ Church: Can the New Pontiff Unite a Divided Flock?) But while the newspaper pushed to the left—founder Hoyt left to become the press agent for the radical priests Daniel and Philip Berrigan—the Catholic Church tacked to the right, at least in theological terms. Many of the dedicated NCR readers of the 1970s and 1980s drifted away from the church. From a peak of 100,000 subscribers in the dawn light of Vatican II, the newspaper has settled back to about 33,000 subscribers on six continents. (PHOTOS: The Rise of Pope Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio) Those readers who remain include the very conservative cardinals who turn to the NCR for honest and informed reporting—no matter how they feel about its editorial page. Under longtime editor (then publisher) Thomas Fox, the newspaper became a source of news that even the most conservative Catholic might peek at when facts were scarce and news mattered. In recent years, no one on the staff has shed more light on dark Vatican corners than John Allen, a Catholic from the Kansas plains whose “maddening” objectivity (in the words of one religion blogger) has made him trustworthy among church leaders on both ends of the liberal-conservative spectrum. Allen came by his objectivity the hard way, he has said. Hired by the NCR in 1997, his first book was a bitter portrait of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger—the future Pope Benedict XVI. When it was published in 2000, supporters of the conservative Ratzinger complained about the obvious bias … and upon reflection, Allen decided they were right. He determined to play fair with all sides in his future work. Soon enough, he was the go-to man at the Vatican (in the words of veteran religion writer Kenneth Woodward): “the journalist other reporters—and not a few cardinals—look to for the inside story.” (PHOTOS: Catholics in Latin America Rejoice) And so it was that Wednesday happened, and the frantic pack of Vatican newshounds went Googling for the dope on the new man, Pope Francis. They found John Allen’s work, and not much else. Allen’s word-sketch of Bergoglio, published online shortly before the voting, covered both the high points and the low points of the new pontiff’s career. Compared with the glibness of the Vatican media crush, Allen’s scoop resounded across the Internet. For one brief moment, we were reminded that genuine knowledge matters, while Tweets fade. MORE: Scenes from St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican
realcathguy 5pts This is simple payback. Like most secular liberal journalists (but I repeat myself), the illiterate Time crew in Rome knew zero about the Catholic Church, so the talented Mr. Allen primed them. In return, Time gives free space to praise not Allen, but his employer, NCR – thus checking several boxes: 1) thanks John, for ghosting for us; 2) aren’t we smarter than those other dead-tree mags that are gone (pat, pat on Time’s back); 3) thanks, John’s employer, the heretical rag condemned as such by a series of bishops; 4) and up yours, Catholic Church. A nice, tidy little deal. Allen should not let himself be used thus. Time obviously needs him more than he needs Time – but he knows NCR is fading, and this is a paid ad to Time’s Catholic-haters to send money now.But TIME is fading too. Never forget TIME's cover in March 1966 around the world - during Lent: "IS GOD DEAD"?God is alive and well, folks. It's TIME that's dying.
suzyroger7 5pts The bible was written and preserved by the Catholic church and inspired by God. Biblical references make clear that Peter was to be the first Pope to lead the church.
thewholetruth 5pts Where did Jesus ever mention a system of Religion or a Pope? ThereseZ 5pts Sure, he said "You are Peter, and upon this Rock, I will build my Church." Not, "I will drop my book." His Church He likens to His Bride and He gives His Body for His Bride. The Church is what He left us, and feeds us with His Body.
ThereseZ 5pts Sure, he said "You are Peter, and upon this Rock, I will build my Church." Not, "I will drop my book." His Church He likens to His Bride and He gives His Body for His Bride. The Church is what He left us, and feeds us with His Body.
VincentScala 5pts I must disagree with your analysis that John Allen came anywhere near picking Bergoglio as the next Pope. He certainly mentioned him as one of many in the Papabile of the Day series, but I got the very very distinct impression that he gave Bergoglio very poor odds, given his age and the fact that he couldn't get the necessary votes in '05... My impression was that he expected it to go to Scola, Scherer or Ouleet. Jswafer 5pts @VincentScala Vincent Scala is correct that John Allen did not consider Bergoglio a "favorite" candidate this time around, but he wrote a detailed column about Bergoglio (and about ten others in separate columns)- that when the national American press needed background info about the new Pope ... Allen must have the reputation as THE reporter to go to.Still, Terry Eagleton, the famous literary critic, clobbers Allen in a review of Allen's book about "Opus Dei" (Harper's April, 2006). Allen seems to consider "Opus Dei"a benign cult. Not Eagleton.
Jswafer 5pts @VincentScala Vincent Scala is correct that John Allen did not consider Bergoglio a "favorite" candidate this time around, but he wrote a detailed column about Bergoglio (and about ten others in separate columns)- that when the national American press needed background info about the new Pope ... Allen must have the reputation as THE reporter to go to.Still, Terry Eagleton, the famous literary critic, clobbers Allen in a review of Allen's book about "Opus Dei" (Harper's April, 2006). Allen seems to consider "Opus Dei"a benign cult. Not Eagleton.
rogerbaloney 5pts Read Terry Eagleton's review of John Allen's scholarship. See Harper's, April, 2006