The Disgrace of Sant'Ambrogio: Memoirs of Father John Conley
August 28, 1944, Florence, Italy
"Everybody out," a German lieutenant yelled as the citizens in the river district were forced out of their homes.
"They're going to blow our bridges," an old man shouted with his fist in the air. That night, as the bridges were destroyed, smoke and flame lit the air as a revered Renaissance painting was stolen by the known gestapo collaborator Father Danilo Lombardi.
September 22, 1978, Vatican City
A young American priest from Boston is summoned to the Vatican on a fateful journey. The disgrace of Sant' Ambrogio sends Father John Conley on a pilgrimage from the catacombs of the Vatican to the summits of the Alps, the monastery of Saint Benedict, and through the gates of East Berlin. Confronted by a blizzard, angry secret police, and unrequited love, he must remain faithful on his mission to redeem the church of Sant' Ambrogio.