Title: The Conspiracy: New Revelations
Author: Liam McCarthy
Publisher: Liam McCarthy
ISBN: 978-1-64753-497-4
Genre: Memoir / Christianity
Pages: 454
Reviewed By: Susan Brown
Hollywood Book Reviews
In 2003, this author was accused of a reprehensible offense, the sexual molestation of two young sisters. At the time, he was on the verge of retirement after a 40-year commitment to serving God and his church as a Catholic priest. The accusation completely upended his life, but not his faith. That is what carried him through his ordeal.
During the course of his five-year struggle to clear his name, for what we come to find out was a false accusation, he kept a journal of his thoughts and feelings. The Conspiracy: New Revelations is the compilation of his writings throughout those years. The magnitude of the Catholic Church’s pedophilia allegations against priests exploded into the public arena in the early 2000s. The Church responded by instituting a “zero tolerance” policy that no matter the veracity of an accusation, a priest was removed from his service. The author was swept up in this strategy by the Church, forcing him to endure not only an unfounded and malicious charge, but the torment of having his good name besmirched, as well as feelings of betrayal by his Church family
This journal provides insight into his heart, his mind, his spirit and his soul, as he struggles to comprehend why he was the target of this anonymous complaint, brought on by the greed of two women. It was false, but few believed him. He wrote this book to: “…give some meaning to my survival. By writing and publishing this journal, maybe I can inspire others not to get discouraged. Justice will eventually prevail.” And it does. Mr. McCarthy is exonerated … finally. The details fill the 400 plus pages of this narrative. There are testimonials from parishioners and friends, an anthology of reviews and a beautiful description of his triumphant and celebratory return as he conducted a Thanksgiving Mass at his former church. There are inspiring quotes from scripture, inspirational writings that helped him through his ordeal, as well as much insight on how to navigate life’s trials and tribulations.
This is so much more than a heart-rending, heart-wrenching and heartbreaking personal account of the victimization the author suffered; it is also a critical assessment of how the Catholic Church mishandled not just his situation but the entire tragedy of pedophilia in its ranks. The author brings to light much to reflect on as all stakeholders involved in this vitally important dialogue continue to find pathways to resolution.
Ultimately, though, this story is about one man’s walk of faith. As he so beautifully recounts, “For a while I just lived on the edge of survival. It was my trust in the sacred heart of Jesus that helped me over the threshold to the end of my struggle; to survive the awful attack on who I was as a human being, and especially as a priest.” Even in his darkest moments, he used his faith in God’s goodness as the way out of his pain and suffering. The experience only made his faith stronger and more absolute.
There’s a powerful message in this book that is of value to all — believers or not. If we live in truth, based on whatever construct we believe in, we each have within us the power to weather life’s hardships.