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'Vaticanologist' to speak at Niagara University on Pope Francis & Catholicism

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Fri, Oct 21st 2016 10:50 am

Well-known "Vaticanologist" John L. Allen Jr. will deliver an address Nov. 9 at Niagara University as part of the Henry and Grace McNulty Lecture Series on Religion in the Modern World.

The title of Allen's talk, which will take place in the Castellani Art Museum at 5:15 p.m., is "Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism."

The event is free and open to the public.

Allen is currently the editor of Crux, specializing in coverage of the Vatican and the Catholic Church. A man whose work is admired across ideological divides, Allen's articles have appeared in The Boston Globe, The New York Times, CNN, NPR, The Tablet, Jesus, Second Opinion, The Nation, the Miami Herald, Die Furche, and the Irish Examiner. He is a senior Vatican analyst for CNN, and was a correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter for 16 years.

Among Allen's 10 published books are "Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church," and two about Pope Benedict XVI. His most recent is "The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church."

Allen received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Fort Hays State University and a master's degree in religious studies from the University of Kansas. For several years, he taught journalism at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, and also supervised the student-run newspaper, The Knight. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of St. Michael's College in Toronto, Ontario; Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois; St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont; and the University of Dallas.

The McNulty Lecture Series is devoted to questions of faith in the contemporary world, especially the topics of social justice and interreligious dialogue. The series was established by the late Rev. Thomas P. McGourty, C.M., a professor of religious studies at NU, in memory of his late aunt and uncle.

For more information, contact Dr. Brian Bennett, chairman of Niagara University's department of religious studies, at 716-286-8454 or [email protected].

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