John L. Allen Jr.

John L. Allen Jr. is the editor of Crux, an independent news agency covering the Vatican and the Catholic Church. He’s also the Senior Vatican Analyst for CNN and author of ten books on Catholic affairs. He’ll address the political and diplomatic role of the Vatican under Pope Francis, who’s proven to be one of the most politically relevant popes in the modern era, with a special focus on Francis’s vision of Europe in the early 21st century and how it might influence the role of the Catholic Church in shaping future relations between Europe and the United States.