Philip Willan Presents L’Italia dei poteri occulti
Philip Willan (left) and Fabio Filocamo
On Wednesday, October 11, 2017, the Guarini Institute for Public Affairs hosted the presentation of the book L’Italia dei poteri occulti by Philip Willan, freelance journalist and an expert on Italian politics and society. The event was moderated by the President of the Harvard Club of Italy Fabio Filocamo. The founder of the Diplomacy Festival, Giorgio Bartolomucci, helped to organize the event in collaboration with the Guarini Institute for Public Affairs.
Giorgio Bartolomucci explained the purpose and activities of the Diplomacy Festival, an initiative founded in 2010 with the intent to deepen students’ understanding of politics. Fabio Filocamo discussed Willan’s book within the Italian political context of the time.
Philip Willan introduced his book L’Italia dei poteri occulti. In the book, Willan investigates the scandals and crimes of the Italian elite in the 80’s starting with the murder of Roberto Calvi, “the banker of God,” whose body was found hanging from a bridge in London in 1982. According to Willan, the Vatican and the government were probably involved in the killing of Roberto Calvi. The author reconstructed the case through a meticulous analysis of the documents provided by Italian magistrates and a series of interviews which he conducted during the trials following Calvi’s death. Willan remarked that it was difficult to collect the information because neither the witnesses nor the Vatican were eager to collaborate.
Willan then pointed out the strong connection between criminal organizations such as the Banda della Magliana and the Vatican, both involved in a campaign against communism and some Italian politicians. He focused on the relationship between the banker and the Masonic lodge P2, and advanced the hypothesis that the murder might have been connected with the war in the Falklands in 1982. What emerged from Willan’s book and his discussion is the depiction of a country, Italy, governed by obscure and evil forces, full of mysteries and unresolved crimes, where there is no room for justice and truth.
(Francesca Tripodi)
