This account by Rachel Mastrogiacomo of her experience as a survivor of Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) horrifies and mystifies, but it also points to the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
by Kathy Clubb
Rachel Mastrogiacomo’s book, The Devil in Rome, tells the story of her time in Rome studying, whilst also being groomed by a diabolical sexual predator who was a Catholic priest. Her tormentor was later to plead guilty to felony sex charges, given 10 years’ probation and then laicised.
The foreword is by Janet Smith, an American academic who has helped support Mrs. Mastrogiacomo throughout her journey back to wholeness. Ms. Smith is also one of those who worked to ensure that Rachel’s story was made known within and without the Church. One notable thing about Ms. Smith’s contribution is her admission that prior to learning of Mrs. Mastrogiacomo’s experience, she didn’t take the activity of satan in the world very seriously; this is surprising for a highly-qualified philosopher and professor of moral theology.
Outline of the story
The abuse took place at the North American College in Rome when she was 23. There, Mrs. Mastrogiacomo met Fr. Jacob Bertrand, who carefully groomed her for eventual participation in a Black Mass, gradually breaking down her inhibitions and programming her, to the point where she was virtually brainwashed. He also inflicted on her depraved acts such as those associated with Aleister Crowley’s sex-magic and more recently, with Fr. Marko Rupnik.
Mrs. Mastrogiacomo has approached this topic very sensitively, which is important for her own sake as well as for that of her readers. When discussing events of sexual nature, she deliberately avoids including graphic detail, while still including enough information to help the reader understand the depths of the depravity to which she was subjected.
Thankfully, a hero emerges – Mrs. Mastrogiacomo’s future husband, although this relationship was not without some heartbreaking episodes. His support, as well as direct intervention from Our Lord, enabled Mrs. Mastrogiacomo to eventually break free from her programming and begin the long road to recovery.
Cardinal Bernardin
As one moves through the book, it becomes evident that a highly-organised satanic cabal is operating inside the confines of the Catholic Church, much of it emanating from the nefarious Cardinal Bernardin.
The lineage of many of today’s offenders can be traced back to this man, and perhaps most worryingly of all, Pope Leo XIV has publicly stated that Bernardin was “one of his inspirations.”
SRA patterns
For those who may be sceptical of the likelihood that a devout Catholic woman could be taken in by a debauched priest, a short commentary by Kyle Clement, an associate of the well-known exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger, explains that this scenario is familiar to those in his line of work.
He says that he and his American network of exorcists and mental health professionals see common features among the traumatised victims of clerical satanic ritual abuse, finding either direct or indirect association with Cardinal Bernadin among the perpetrators:
- A grooming period involving questionable mystical or spiritual practices
- Ritual abuse occurring during the Mass or other sacraments with perpetrators wearing vestments
- Attempts by another cleric to counsel the victim, undermine credibility, or control disclosure
- A combination of psychological and physical abuse
- Victims nationwide describing strikingly similar rituals. 1
Although no similar network is evident here in Australia, many of our priests’ and bishops’ penchant for decorating their churches with occult-inspired artwork suggests that such a network could potentially exist. (The inaction by our bishops over Catholic Freemasons is another indicator!)
Rachel Mastrogiacomo and the Latin Mass
Having attended Steubenville University, Mrs. Mastrogiacomo’s formation had been tainted by a charismatic version of “conservative Catholic” Modernism. However, she writes in glowing terms about the traditional Mass, crediting it with making a substantial contribution to her healing. She writes,
“I was longing for the mysterious and the timeless when I moved to Rome at the tender age of 23. Had I grown up with the Tridentine Mass, despite my vulnerability, I firmly believe I would not have been as susceptible to Bertrand’s satanic ritual abuse. I more ways that one, Catholic tradition and the TLM would have served as the antidote and the preventative to the lure of the occult which was presented to me under the guise of Catholic mysticism.”2
This book is to be recommended for those who take an interest in clerical abuse cases, especially for those who are tempted to believe that there are no satanists to be found among the clergy.
The Devil in Rome will surely disabuse them of that idea, should the evil fruits of that phenomenon not provide evidence enough.
ENDNOTES
The Devil in Rome is available at Amazon: click here for the USA store or here for the Australian store.
Kathy Clubb is an Australian writer who home-educated her children for 30 years. She has written on Catholic and pro-life issues at The Remnant Newspaper, LifeSiteNews, Fidelity magazine, Family Life International, Endeavour Forum and more. Kathy is the founder and editor of Pax Orbis.
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