- Hardcover: 392 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group; New title edition (31 July 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385509669
- ISBN-13: 978-0385509664
- Product Dimensions: 16.2 x 2.8 x 24.1 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,013,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
All the Pope's Men
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Product Description
Product Description
A fascinating and enlightening look at the world’s oldest and most mysterious institution, written by an American journalist with unparalleled knowledge about the Vatican's past and present.
The sexual abuse scandals that shook American and British Catholicism in 2002 brought to light a long-standing cultural gap between the English-speaking Catholic world and the Vatican. In Rome, the crisis was often seen as an attack on the Church mounted by money-hungry lawyers, a hostile press, and liberal activists who used it as a way to turn attention on such concerns as celibacy, women’s ordination, and lay empowerment. When the Vatican struck down the U.S. bishops’ draft for handling allegations of sexual abuse, many saw it as an attempt to curb an independent American Catholic church. Yet, as time passed, it became clear that the Vatican’s well-founded concerns about due process were shared by most liberal U.S. bishops and canon lawyers.
ALL THE POPE’S MEN is a lucid, in-depth guide to the sometimes puzzling, often incomprehensible inner workings of the Vatican. It reveals how decisions are made, how papal bureaucrats think, and how careers in the Roman Curia are shaped. It debunks the myths that have fed the distrust and suspicions many English-speaking Catholics harbor about the way the Vatican conducts its business, explains who really wields the power, and offers entertaining profiles of the personalities, historical and present-day, who have wielded that power for good and for bad. A thoughtful analysis of the recent sexual abuse crisis sheds light on how the Vatican perceives the Church in the United States.
Balanced, lively, and filled with Vatican history and lore, ALL THE POPE’S MEN provides the general reader with an authoritative picture of the highly charged relationship between the Vatican and the richest, most influential national Catholic church in the world today.
The sexual abuse scandals that shook American and British Catholicism in 2002 brought to light a long-standing cultural gap between the English-speaking Catholic world and the Vatican. In Rome, the crisis was often seen as an attack on the Church mounted by money-hungry lawyers, a hostile press, and liberal activists who used it as a way to turn attention on such concerns as celibacy, women’s ordination, and lay empowerment. When the Vatican struck down the U.S. bishops’ draft for handling allegations of sexual abuse, many saw it as an attempt to curb an independent American Catholic church. Yet, as time passed, it became clear that the Vatican’s well-founded concerns about due process were shared by most liberal U.S. bishops and canon lawyers.
ALL THE POPE’S MEN is a lucid, in-depth guide to the sometimes puzzling, often incomprehensible inner workings of the Vatican. It reveals how decisions are made, how papal bureaucrats think, and how careers in the Roman Curia are shaped. It debunks the myths that have fed the distrust and suspicions many English-speaking Catholics harbor about the way the Vatican conducts its business, explains who really wields the power, and offers entertaining profiles of the personalities, historical and present-day, who have wielded that power for good and for bad. A thoughtful analysis of the recent sexual abuse crisis sheds light on how the Vatican perceives the Church in the United States.
Balanced, lively, and filled with Vatican history and lore, ALL THE POPE’S MEN provides the general reader with an authoritative picture of the highly charged relationship between the Vatican and the richest, most influential national Catholic church in the world today.
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First Sentence
If you mill about St. Peter's Square long enough, you will eventually see a black Mercedes sedan exiting from the Vatican, bearing a cardinal or a gentleman of His Holiness to some important engagement. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
If you mill about St. Peter's Square long enough, you will eventually see a black Mercedes sedan exiting from the Vatican, bearing a cardinal or a gentleman of His Holiness to some important engagement. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
62 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bob Woodward of the Vatican, 19 July 2004
By Leonard Hartmann - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: All the Pope's Men (Hardcover)
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.
50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting, a good read., 19 July 2004
By B. Galston-Herbert - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: All the Pope's Men (Hardcover)
John Allen has always impressed me with his newspaper writing and whenever I've heard him on National Public Radio. I was happy to have come across this book here and found it a very fresh perspective on the world inside the Vatican. As those of you who read these types of books will know, there are many, many books on the topic out there and I gather that half of those that are written are merely quoting from the other half. Put this one in the TO BE QUOTED FROM PILE. It's original material, I particularly like his Myths about the Vatican section. Thank you John Allen.
51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inner Workings Clearly Explained, 16 Oct 2004
By Steven K. Szmutko - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: All the Pope's Men (Hardcover)
Vatican correspondent for "National Catholic Reporter" and a noted media analyst on Vatican affairs, John L. Allen has crafted an insightful analysis of one of the oldest and most fascinating world institutions. The author of CONCLAVE, an exploration of the events surrounding modern papal elections, incorporates his knowledge and experience into a detailed exploration of the complex bureaucracy of the Catholic Church known simply as "the Vatican."
For Catholics and others in the United States, the decisions of the Pope and the Curia appear to be out of touch with contemporary society - particularly American culture. Of course, that is precisely the point! The Vatican is characterized by a centuries-old, traditional European, yet increasingly global world view where issues are considered and decisions are made within the uniquely long-term Catholic concepts of scripture, tradition and faithfulness to the Magisterium (the official teaching authority of the Church). Developed in response to such burning issues as the recent sex scandals and the Vatican's opposition to the war in Iraq, Mr. Allen explores the culture and context of the Vatican from psychological, sociological and theological perspectives. Recognizing the spiritual underpinnings of the institution, Mr. Allen examines the individuals and myriad offices which collectively form the Vatican. He does so from a distinctly human standpoint, weaving a rich tapestry of collegial, dynastic, ecclesiastical, cultural and contextual characteristics. He analyzes personal motivation and formal and informal spheres of influence, carefully connecting the dots of human frailty with the overriding mission of Church stewardship. Through faithful adherence to journalistic principles, critical respect and objectivity, Mr. Allen provided an illuminating overview of the Vatican response to today's tumultuous issues.
If there can be any criticism of the book - and it is only a minor criticism - it is with respect to the lengthy and detailed chronology of the Vatican's response to the sex-scandal and Iraq War. Yet even in this, the accompanying analysis leaves the reader with a greater comprehension of the motives and thought process of the Vatican in dealing globally with events seen as more localized flashpoints. The myths of the Vatican section is particularly fascinating in debunking popular, yet unsubstantiated legends.
There are some who would dismiss Mr. Allen due to the perceived liberal leanings of the "National Catholic Reporter." However, unlike other recent books from those with particular axes to grind, the author offers concise reporting, balanced analysis, and well-reasoned conclusions. The book is clearly worth the reader's time and attention, rewarding those who seek understanding of things as they are, not merely reaffirmations of preconceived opinions. For those who wish to hear more from Mr. Allen, his weekly Internet column, "The Word from Rome," offers additional insight in an engaging format.
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