John L. Allen Jr., otherwise referred to in most circles as John Allen, is the prolific writer for the dissident Catholic newspaper National Catholic Reporter has come out defending L'Osservatore Romano in the recent Pope Condom Comments controversy.

John Allen laid the blame clearly on orthodox/conservative Catholic bloggers for "jealousy, politics, and dated expectations of how the Vatican paper ought to behave." referring to critics of L'Osservatore Romano and its editor Gian Maria Vian, of which I am one of those critics.

Mr. Allen, by "dated expectations of how the Vatican paper ought to behave", do you mean as in defending Church teaching and not embarrassing the pope at all costs?

Are you kidding me?

No, really, are you kidding me Mr. John "anyone who practices their Catholic faith is equivalent to the Taliban" Allen?

Mr. Allen's credibility has always been held in high esteem by both sides of the Catholic aisle, ie, orthodox and dissident Catholics.  After reading his book on Opus Dei, I came away impressed by his even handedness.

But with the recent AP article referencing John Allen's "Taliban Catholicism" comment in which Mr. Allen paints all practicing Catholics as the Taliban and now his defense of L'Osservatore Romano's major league gaffe in which mass swaths of humanity now think that Catholic teaching on contraception has changed, he has the appalling gall to smear orthodox/conservative Catholic bloggers?

Maybe it's time to question John Allen's journalistic credentials as a balanced journalist with this latest travail in journalistic adventurism.

This just befuddles the mind.

(Cross-posted at The American Catholic)