Licio Gelli
| Licio Gelli | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
April 21, 1919 Pistoia, Tuscany, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | December 15, 2015 (aged 96) Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation | Financier, freemason, politics |
| Organization | Propaganda Due (until 1982) |
| Political party |
National Fascist Party (1939-1943) Republican Fascist Party (1943-1945) |
| Spouse(s) | Wanda Vannacci (1944-1993; her death) Gabriela Vasile (2006-2015; his death) |
| Children | Raffaello (1947) Maria Rosa (1956) Maurizio (1959) |
Licio Gelli (Italian pronunciation: [ˈlitʃo ˈdʒɛlli]; April 21, 1919 – December 15, 2015) was an Italian financier, chiefly known for his role in the Banco Ambrosiano scandal. He was revealed in 1981 as being the Venerable Master of the clandestine lodge Propaganda Due (P2).
Gelli was born in Pistoia, Tuscany. During the 1930s, Gelli volunteered for the Blackshirts expeditionary forces sent by Mussolini in support of Francisco Franco's rebellion in the Spanish Civil War. He participated in the Italian Social Republic with Giorgio Almirante, founder of the neofascist Italian Social Movement (MSI). After a sales job with the Italian mattress factory Permaflex, Gelli founded his own textile and importing company.
In 1970, during the failed Golpe Borghese, he was delegated the role of arresting the Italian President, Giuseppe Saragat. As Master of the Propaganda Due (P2) lodge, Gelli had ties with very high level personalities in Italy and abroad, in particular in Argentina, where he was a fugitive for many years. The Argentine Chancellor Alberto Vignes drafted with Juan Perón, who had returned from exile in 1973, a decree granting Gelli the Gran Cruz de la Orden del Libertador in August 1974, as well as the honorary office of economic counselor in the embassy of Argentina in Italy. Gelli publicly declared on repeated occasions that he was a close friend of Argentina's leader Juan Peron, although no confirmation ever came from South America. Gelli affirmed that he introduced Peron to Masonry and that this friendship was of real importance for Italy. He stated: "Peron was a Mason, I initiated him in Madrid in Puerta de Hierro, in June 1973."
...
Wikipedia