“Ranucci has restored his friendship with the Freemasons,” says the Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Italy

Rome. In Sigfrido’s sweltering hotchpotch, Freemasonry could not fail to feature – once again. The protean Valter Lavitola is a Freemason (or former one). And once again, those ‘very high circles’ – as Luigi De Magistris put it – are said to be ‘Freemasons’, whom the programme ‘Report’ is alleged to have irritated over the years. But really, Venerable Antonio Seminario, Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Italy, can you tell us what’s going on? “It’s the same old story. Whenever anything happens in this country, Freemasonry gets dragged into it…” Has the ‘lodge moment’ kicked in? “Exactly. But we at the Grand Orient are light years away from all this talk.” And what do you make of the case that’s been in the news this summer? “We’re following it closely, as citizens, but we have no one involved.” Of course. And yet, if Ranucci is (was and always will be) a friend of Valter Lavitola, and if Valter Lavitola was (and perhaps still is) a Freemason, we might infer that the reporter isn’t actually all that hostile towards you… Or is he? “I absolutely agree,” the Venerable Master tells us. Then he smiles: “I wonder if Ranucci has realised it, but…”. Has Ranucci restored his friendship with the Freemasons? “That’s exactly right! You’ve hit the nail on the head! He has restored it. And I agree so much that I won’t say any more.”

And to think that in his investigations, it was not the spirit of friendship that hung over the lodge. Maestro, would you be pleased if, deep down, Ranucci were your friend? “We wouldn’t mind. But we don’t ask him to be one either. However, you know, all this is merely a reflection of our magnificent country.”