John Allen, Jr.: A Model of Journalistic Integrity

Renowned Vatican-based American journalist John Allen, Jr. of CruxNow.com, passed away on January 22nd. 

John’s kindness to those who worked with him never made the headlines at Crux. But those of us who had the privilege to work with him, as I did, admired not only the journalistic integrity and objectivity for which he was renowned worldwide but also his humble spirit of kindness and generosity that inspired countless hearts and minds, including my own. 

Although I had known and worked with John since 2016, when my agency was hired to represent Crux as its ad sales agency of record, we did not meet in person until December of 2019.  Several months earlier, I had asked John whether he would be willing to fly from Rome to New York City to support a Catholic nonprofit—the historic Leo House of New York City—by participating in its fundraising gala. John was exceptionally busy in Rome covering  Pope Francis’ papacy but didn’t hesitate to say yes. This spirit of generosity and kindness was typical of John.

John’s acts of kindness behind the scenes didn’t make it to the pages of Crux; however, what did find its way there and on his podcast, Last Week in the Church, was unmatched journalistic brilliance and wit that raised the bar and set the standard for journalists inside the Church and outside it as well. 

Indeed, what impressed me most about John in my discussions with him regarding advertising was his unflinching, steadfast commitment to journalistic integrity and objectivity and his refusal to allow commercial opportunities or concerns to interfere with Crux’s core mission to tell the story of the Church, without fear or favor.

He understood the importance of advertising revenue for Crux’s survival and its growth but also the primary importance of maintaining ethical boundaries between advertising and editorial that safeguarded the editorial integrity of Crux. He knew readers around the world trusted him to provide objective reporting and analysis of the Church. And I was privileged to witness from my little corner of the world how he truly made good on that trust every day of his life at Crux.

The cross - a very real and personal crux for John - he endured at the end of his life did not stand in the way of his journalistic brilliance. On the contrary, such was his tireless devotion to the craft he loved and his faith in God, that he allowed Our Lord to transform his cross into gain for Christ and his Church. And I believe some of John's finest journalistic work was accomplished during this period of suffering. His reporting had always born witness to the transformative power of Christ's cross. It was at the end of his life that his own cross bore profound and beautiful witness to that power as well. 

Prayer was John's secret weapon. And I knew John as a man of prayer that helped him to become the kind of catholic media pioneer that his fellow journalists and media colleagues deeply admired. I can count on one hand the number of times we spoke one to one by phone but I recall one such conversation by phone where we prayed during our call. Suffice it to say I was moved by John's spirit of piety and faithfulness which was evident in the way that he prayed - including one portion that he prayed in Latin - and in his belief in the power of prayer to heal not only the body but also the soul.  In some ways, I believe John's life's work in journalism was a very practical, lived expression of his life of prayer.

It consoles me to know that the journalistic legacy of journalistic excellence that John left to the Church and to the world is in good hands with his wife, Elise, and the team at Crux. God knows the world desperately needs the sort of journalism practiced by Crux. And I pray that the legacy of journalistic integrity that John so faithfully left to the Church and to the world will blossom in a new springtime of journalistic excellence in Catholic and secular media.

Requiescat in pace aeterna.