All the Pope's Men: The Inside Story of How the Vatican Really Thinks

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 400 pages
• Published by: Doubleday July 13, 2004
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0385509669
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0385509664
• Book Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 1.2 pounds

From Publishers Weekly
Allen, the Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and analyst for CNN and National Public Radio, offers an authoritative guide to the church's inner workings. Far from sensationalistic, this book provides a carefully balanced view of how the Catholic Church works—and sometimes doesn't—in the modern world. Allen, who is Catholic himself but does not see himself as a missionary or apologist for the church, is a fair and thorough reporter of ecclesial affairs who drew on four-plus years of covering the Vatican as well as 35 interviews with officials in the church bureaucracy to write this book. He begins with an overview of the Vatican, then debunks five myths—including, notably, the idea that power is concentrated solely in the Pope and that the Vatican is fantastically wealthy. In talking about the myth and reality of Vatican secrecy, Allen lays out the basis for his book: that the Vatican's psychology and culture are difficult for people, even most Catholics, to grasp, resulting in miscommunication and animosity toward the church. Allen also delves into Vatican psychology, sociology and theology before concluding with lengthy chronologies detailing the Vatican's role in the American sexual abuse crisis and the war in Iraq.
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Product Review


Praise for John L. Allen, Jr.’s Conclave:

“An invaluable primer…highly informative.” -- Washington Post

“Definitely a winner.” --Minneapolis Star Tribune

“It’s surprising how much you learn from this book…[Allen] explain[s] the process in an engaging way, and offers history, context, and his own list of front-runners.” --Arizona Republic

“Conclave offers something for everyone. Insiders who are knowledgeable about Vatican politics will relish the detail that Allen…delves into when describing the process and the personalities that will elect the next pope. Those who are baffled by the arcane traditions of Roman Catholicism will understand better how this ancient institution functions. The curious will have a context within which to understand why the cardinals choose a pope with a certain theological and political bent.” --National Catholic Reporter

Reader Reviews
Maybe John Allen doesn't quite have the dramatic flair that Woodward has for the midnight, behind closed door scenes (like Nixon asking Kissinger to pray with him), but Allen's information is just as interesting and reliable, and the writing is pretty good too. And unlike most of the people you have writing about the Vatican Allen really does seem to walk a straight line in terms of the politics. A reviewer has commented that the even-handedness has bothered him/her, but nothing bothers me more than partisan reporting through rose coloured glass or the pessimism of a disaffected church goer. All the Pope's Men isn't much of a whodunnit but it is a very interesting examination of the psychology and the workings of the Vatican. It is a bureaucracy, of sorts, but I found it's workings fascinating nonetheless.