Leo XIV appoints Freemason to Vatican committee

"Leo has appointed a historian who appears repeatedly in Masonic records to a Vatican historical committee.

On August 13, Pope Leo XIV appointed Umberto Longo, director of the Italian Historical Institute for the Middle Ages and professor of medieval history at Sapienza University of Rome, as a member of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences.

The appointment comes despite documentary evidence connecting him to Freemasonry, including records from the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite and later appearances by Longo at events organized within the sphere of the major Masonic lodge in Italy, the Grand Orient of Italy (GOI).

On February 9, 2019, for example, Longo participated in the conference 'God and People. Roman Republic. 170 years of love,' organized in Rome by the GOI and the District College of Worshipful Masters of Lazio. The surviving video provides visual evidence of Longo speaking at the event, opened by Giuseppe Bramucci, a Master Mason. In particular, Longo gave a lecture titled 'The Legacy of the Roman Republic.'...

In particular, a 2014 issue of Logos, the journal of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in Italy, contains an article written by 'Fr. Oratore Umberto Longo 9°' among the officers of the Lodge of Perfection of Secret Masters 'Giano' in Rome. The article regards the history, ritual, and initiatory development of the Scottish Rite.

The title 'Fr.' is used in the publication as an abbreviation for 'Fratello' ('Brother'), while the number indicates the Masonic degree. In particular, the number '9°' means that he attained the Ninth Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, namely that of Elect of the Nine...

In addition to the announcement of the 2019 Rome event, he also appears among the speakers at a 2014 conference devoted — once again — to the history of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

And in December 2022, Longo took part in a conference on Hugo Pratt, the renowned Italian comic artist who was himself a Freemason. The conference was organized by 'Fondazione Scozzese Triveneta,' a cultural institution connected to the milieu of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

During his lecture, Longo describes with remarkable precision the stages of the Masonic initiation ritual: the chamber of reflection, the divesting of metals, the inner journey. He presents them not merely as a subject of historical study, but as a 'complete representation' which he interprets using the kind of languageof someone well-versed in the Order’s symbolism.

At the end of his lecture, Longo concludes by placing himself, Hugo Pratt, Corto Maltese, and the audience within a single shared category: 'Corto and Ugo know well that an initiate can only be a traveler… Pratt and Corto embody all of this, with a gentle smile, without dogmas, without claims to primacy; they are gentlemen of fortune. And, after all, so are we.'

Even more striking is that, at the conclusion of the conference, a man introduced as the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite took the floor to thank the speaker, referring to him verbatim as 'Brother Professor Longo.'"