Overview
- Allen died of cancer in Rome on January 22, 2026, at age 61, according to tributes from Crux and Religion News Service.
- A leading interpreter of Vatican affairs, he began as the National Catholic Reporter’s Rome correspondent in 2000 and authored 11 books, including an early biography of Cardinal Ratzinger.
- He was a frequent on-air explainer during papal transitions, notably appearing on CNN after John Paul II’s death and during Benedict XVI’s resignation and Francis’s election.
- He launched Crux with the Boston Globe in 2014, took it independent in 2016, and guided it as CEO and editor-in-chief until illness curtailed his daily involvement.
- His wife, Elise Ann Allen, Crux’s senior Rome correspondent, is part of the outlet’s ownership and is expected to help sustain its work, colleagues said.