Ruth’s Mantle

Rome, 1926. At just twelve years old, Remo is abandoned by his mother at the gates of the Pontifical Seminary, a desperate choice after becoming widowed with four children to feed. The Church is his only hope for survival.

1943, As the city falls under Nazi occupation, a chance encounter will shatter his world and tests his deepest beliefs. Now a parish priest in the heart of Rome’s Monti district, Remo is entrusted with little Aida, a young girl whose life is at risk after the brutal roundup at the Portico di Ottavia. Rachele begs him to protect her daughter, promising to return—but she never does. For years, Remo and Aida wait, caught in a web of uncertainty and unspoken hope.

2000, Remo’s days are numbered. He decides to write a long letter to Aida, a testimony of love, to her and to her mother, whose love he never relinquished.

Inspired by true events of the Roman Holocaust, Il mantello di Rut (Ruth’s Mantle) tells the heart-wrenching story of a priest who risks everything to honor a promise made to a mother he barely knew. Hidden beneath the dome of a church, twenty Jewish girls were saved from Nazi deportation, shielded by a priest and nuns who defied death to save them. This novel is a testament to faith, love, and loyalty, as Remo’s act of protection becomes a symbol of impossible love and unshakable belief.

Through a beautifully delicate narrative, Paolo Rodari forces us to confront a powerful question: How far would you go for love and faith?
“Letting go, this is love. Nothing less, nothing more”.
A gripping tale of sacrifice, impossible love, and an unforgettable act of courage, inspired by the true stories of the Roman Holocaust.