Honoring a Life of Dedication and Integrity
Elise Allen announced today in CRUX the passing of her husband John at age 61.
The reporter joined the launch of the Boston Globe‘s online magazine CRUX in 2014. Previously, he had been the star Vatican observer for the National Catholic Reporter. CRUX was later spun off as an independent Catholic news platform with John as the editor.
His colleagues called him “a force of nature” and “a patient mentor, a generous colleague, and the consummate newsman.” At a meal (he always love talking over a meal in Rome), Darilyn and I personally witnessed his no-nonsense eyewitness accounts that engendered the joy and trust that he earned as one of Rome’s best reporters.
His wife Elise wrote today, “Friends, colleagues, and regular Crux readers will know that my husband, John L. Allen Jr., has been battling cancer for some time, and has largely been absent from the site this year as he underwent treatment and fought for recovery.
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I convey, nearly four years after his diagnosis, that John lost his battle with cancer on Thursday, January 22, 2026, and is now resting in the arms of God, free from the pain and discomfort that he lived with for so long.”
John witnessed with clarity, honesty, and depth the papacies of John Paul II, Benedict, and Francis. Toward the end of his days, he could with satisfaction say that maybe the Catholic church got it just right by elevating another American, Pope Leo, to prominence in Rome.
Below is Darilyn Carnes’ remembrance of our time together.
