Act of Faith

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Act of Faith: America's longest running criminal conspiracy perpetrated against children

By: Stephen Rubino

www.actoffaithbook.com

About the Book

In his debut novel, trial attorney Stephen Rubino takes the reader on an electrifying journey of deceit, intrigue, tragedy, passion and ultimate redemption.

At the intersection of the sacred and the profane, Act of Faith dissects the Vatican’s complicity in America’s longest criminal conspiracy perpetrated against children. This multi-generational family saga is richly portrayed through an ensemble cast of unforgettable characters, revealing the secret world of the Vatican’s sheltering of sexual predators to avoid bringing scandal to the faithful. Act of Faith offers an unflinching account of the still emerging sexual abuse scandal plaguing the Catholic Church and its impact on the survivors and their families across America. The story chronicles the lives of siblings Francis and Elizabeth Natale, who suffer unspeakable psychological damage after being sexually abused by their trusted parish priest. As adults, Francis and Elizabeth become estranged, each hiding their secrets in dangerous double lives. He as a gifted pianist and sexually conflicted Catholic priest, she as a reckless but highly successful trial attorney. After resigning her partnership in a major New York City law firm, Elizabeth sets out to uncover the roots of the abuse scandal and to exact her personal revenge. On a serendipitous road trip across the country, Elizabeth confronts her lifelong demons and forms an unlikely alliance with Father Thomas Atkinson, her long lost high school love who has become a Vatican whistleblower. After a tense reunion with Francis, the trio enters the super-charged environment of high stakes litigation, exposing the Church’s centuries old practice of hiding sexual predators in plain sight from the religious faithful and law enforcement. Together, the trio brings to the courthouse steps the first Federal Civil Racketeering lawsuit against the Catholic Church.

About the Author

Stephen Rubino is a practicing attorney who filed the first Civil Racketeering case against the Catholic Church in 1993. For the last thirty-five years he has represented hundreds of abuse survivors throughout North America and the Canadian Arctic. For seventeen years, Mr. Rubino served as chairman of the Childhood Sexual Abuse Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice. In 2008, Mr. Rubino was a finalist for the Public Justice Foundation’s Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for his work in the Los Angeles Archdiocese and San Diego Diocese Catholic Abuse Litigation. In 2014, he received the Pioneer Award from the Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). His work has been widely profiled in print and broadcast media and he has lectured extensively on the intricacies of the cover-up and how America’s Bishops have used draconian statutes of limitations to suppress what would otherwise be viable claims against the Catholic Church.

Endorsements

“Fast paced and elegantly written, Act of Faith offers a deep dive into the truth about the corruption at the highest levels of the Catholic Church. Drawing on his decades of experience, Act of Faith brings to life tragedy, horror, suspense and ultimately, triumphant survival. A work of fiction woven in the harsh reality of fact. A must have volume for any history on the scandal.”

-Thomas P. Doyle, Former Priest Secretary to Papal Ambassador Pio Lagi and Vatican whistleblower

“Spellbinding! This captivating novel conveys the epic courage of Catholic sex abuse victims who came forward in the early 90s, when no one wanted to believe them. Never has the story of these early whistleblowers been told with such feeling, and small wonder –Rubino knows this story better than anyone.”

-Anne Barrett Doyle, Co-Director, BishopAccountability.org

“Act of Faith is a legal thriller, adroitly plotted by a practitioner who knows the snakes and daggers that threaten cases seeking true justice. Layered into the suspense, Rubino advances the riveting story of an Italian family awakening to painful secrets that bring them to a profound spiritual reckoning.”

-Jason Berry, author of Lead Us Not Into Temptation

“Act of Faith captures a new perspective on the heartbreaking account of crime and cover-up in the 1980s Roman Catholic Church in America. Through the compassionately told stories of survivors and the crucible of the courtroom, Rubino brings the reader into the rarely seen lives of those that have lived this nightmare. The stories reveal deeply held secrets and soul-crushing betrayal by Church leaders time and time again.”

-Jeff Anderson, Founder of Anderson & Associates, representing victims of childhood sexual abuse since 1981

(2021, hardback, 606 pages)