A Conversation about the Catholic Church and Sexual Abuse, Two Children's Books, and Jewish Culture.

Mark Bello was a civil justice attorney who primarily dealt with auto accidents, police brutality cases, medical malpractice cases, workers' compensation cases, and helped people fight insurance companies. However, early in his practice, he handled a case where a couple of kids were abused sexually by a Catholic priest, which troubled him deeply, not just because of the priest's actions but because of the way the church behaved, such as transferring offenders, hiding witnesses, covering up prior incidents by the same priest, and avoiding consequences. He promised himself that he would write a book about this, and eventually, he did. Betrayal of Faith, the first book in his legal thriller series, is about a couple of kids who are sexually abused by a priest. The Catholic Church covered up such incidents, transferred predators to communities who didn't know they were predators, and the cycle began all over again.

Bello discusses his legal career and how he transitioned to writing fiction and children's books with social justice themes. He explains that he wrote a book about a biracial child who experiences racism and bullying at school and another book about the dangers of texting while driving.

The conversation ends in discussing changes in the news media over the years. Mark Bello and Sean Dustin discuss how the news was delivered in the past and how it has changed to become more opinionated and slanted towards specific views. They mention that the news has become more like infotainment rather than a nonfiction account of events. They also talk about the need for accountability in media and the rise of independent media sources. The conversation then moves to politics and the need for politicians to work together for the country rather than fighting over political distinctions. They mention that national politics can be a huge distraction, and it is essential to pay attention to what is happening in your own community where things actually make a difference.

You can find Mark here:
https://www.markmbello.com/

You can find Sean Dustin here:
www.seandustin.com

#catholicchurch #sexualabuse #childrensbooks #jews