St. John Paul II Archives

By meeting Cupich, Pope Francis masters speaking without words
- Jan 31, 2021
Over the centuries, popes have always found plenty of ways to speak without using words, especially when words might be inconvenient or hard to take back.

By John L. Allen Jr.
Latest papal health scare doesn’t mean the end, but it may mean change
- Jan 24, 2021
Sciatica is not life-threatening, it doesn’t shorten the lifespan, and it doesn’t pose the risk of either physical or mental incapacity. That’s not to say it’s trivial – as Francis himself said talking about it in 2013, “I don’t wish it on anyone!” – but it’s not the sort of thing that raises questions about the pope’s ability to govern.

By John L. Allen Jr.
Like JPII, Tommy Lasorda was a living lesson in the Catholic ‘both/and’
- Jan 10, 2021
It’s sometimes thought that people too attached to their own tradition aren’t open enough to be able to dialogue with others; that to be universal, you’ve got to be a little less specific. John Paul II and Tommy Lasorda, through their remarkable lives, delivered the only Catholic answer to that claim: Bunk.

By John L. Allen Jr.

Top theologian: Argument just keeps ‘foot in the door’ waiting for a saint
- Dec 18, 2020
Archbishop Rowan Williams offered the example of Malcolm Muggeridge, a celebrated British journalist and satirist who was attracted to Communism in his youth and later converted to Christianity under the influence of St. Teresa of Calcutta.

By John L. Allen Jr.

Report shows ‘tragic incompetence’ on McCarrick, Barron says

Nov 14, 2020

“It reveals how sclerotic and dysfunctional the system was,” Bishop Robert Barron said. “Again and again, I was struck by the wickedness of McCarrick himself, but also by the tragic incompetence of so many who were charged with investigating, following up, asking serious questions, etc.”

By John L. Allen Jr.

Polish bishops defend John Paul II after McCarrick report

Nov 13, 2020

Polish bishops defended St. John Paul II on Friday against evidence that he rejected reports that ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick slept with his seminarians, seeking to salvage a papal legacy that has been badly tarnished by his inaction on clergy sexual abuse.

By Monika Scislowska and Nicole Winfield

As Pompeo arrives in Rome, we’re through the looking glass

Sep 30, 2020

By publishing a recent article warning Pope Francis and the Vatican that their moral authority is at risk should they renew a 2018 deal with China over bishops, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo injected a sense of a high-stakes showdown to his visit to the Vatican this week.

By John L. Allen Jr.