Freemasonry carries a mystique in the United States but most
people discount any notion of conspiratorial activity. Few are able to
understand the role it played in the Revolution and the formation of American
society.
Italian society on the other hand has direct historical proof
of Masonic conspiracy, and not just in the 19th century but in
modern times. No one doubts its nature.
The scandals surrounding the Vatican Bank, the Years of Lead,
the P2 Lodge and the mafia continue to be explored and continue to fascinate.
The full story has not yet been told because it is vast and the investigator
immediately finds himself in an incomprehensible labyrinth that extends far
beyond Italy and its colourful political history.
One continuously perplexing element to the story is the
reality of forces working in alliance that on other levels would seem to be
completely at odds. Masons and Catholics have historically been hostile to the
extreme and yet the realpolitik of the post-War period and the rise of communism
seem to have driven (in some cases) former antagonists into a common cause. The
mafia, a complex conspiratorial organisation deeply embedded in economics and
politics also found its way into these circles.
While some in the Vatican react violently to the infiltration
and collaboration of Roman prelates with the criminal underworld, it is well
documented. Why? Once again, mutual interests. The mafia has proven quite handy
at taking care of dirty work, secreting funds and combatting Left-wing labour
movements.
The mafia loves the capitalist milieu and builds its own
feudal apparatus on top of a flourishing open market economic system.
That's really what's at the heart of this alliance. It's
Right-wing politics, each faction focusing on a particular nuance. Rome has not
always been devoted to the free market or libertarian impulses in society and
yet it will work with these elements in order to combat the real enemy... materialistic
communism.
Modern masonry rose from the context of
Classical Liberalism and Enlightenment Protestantism. In the 18th
and 19th centuries this element was in a desperate conflict with
Throne and Altar Roman Catholicism and the Black Nobility.
The world wars changed these dynamics and the new world born
in the ashes of Hiroshima continues to generate fallout in our own day.
And yet Right-wing doesn't fully encompass the impulses
behind such collaborations. Fascism often (and rightly) identified with the
Right contained other elements as well. Its nationalism was both modern and
traditional. The symbols of the nation and its mythology were venerated but the
older political order was rejected. Fascist nations were not led by nobles but
by military-style dictators. Traditional values were emphasised and militarised
and yet there was a real hostility to the human rights ideology rooted in
Enlightenment thought. In addition to Freemasonry's commitment to universality (as
opposed to the nation), it was also a secret organisation, often connected to
the monied capitalist class. For this reason Fascism was quite hostile to the
lodge. Similarly its law and order agenda generated very harsh treatment of
organised crime. The only organisation able to flourish within the Western fascist
milieu was the Roman Catholic Church. And while Rome often did well enough in
the fascist setting, the relationship was complicated and sometimes
antagonistic.
While it is not improper to speak of fascist ideology,
political movements and potential threats in the post-war period, they usually
belong more properly to the label of Neo-Fascism. A minor nuance but one that
is sometimes called for. This moniker affords a slightly larger umbrella that
creates categories for understanding the context in which groups like the
Vatican, the mafia and masonry are able to overlap and support each other.
For an interesting, informative and contemporary report on
Roman Catholic attitudes toward Freemasonry see:
Here's a segment from an older documentary referencing P2
with some rare footage of Licio Gelli:
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