His objectivity has even been described as "maddening." John Allen Jr. will be in Toronto on Tuesday, September 28th, to offer the lecture: Covering the Vatican and the Church -- A Vaticanista Reflects on Challenges Facing the Church Today. An American journalist, John Allen is the author of the popular column All Things Catholic, which is published in the National Catholic Reporter, and has also appeared on CNN and NPR.  He's written several books, including a biography on Pope Benedict XVI and a look at Opus Dei.  His most recent book is The Future Church: How Ten Trends Are Revolutionising the Catholic Church. The 7:00pm lecture is at the Sam Sorbara Auditorium, Room 200, Brennan Hall, 81 St. Mary Street, Toronto.  For more on the lecture, visit here. Watch for John Allen in upcoming editions of Perspectives -- the daily and weekly shows, as well as Witness.