roberto calvi

The story of Roberto Calvi is almost too extraordinary to be true. If it weren’t supported by evidence - including in-depth investigations by Italian authorities - it might be dismissed as an amalgam of “conspiracy theories”. Yet, we are confronted with facts of a deeply disturbing character.

Calvi was the head of the Banco Ambrosiano, Italy’s second largest bank. The biggest shareholder of Banco Ambrosiano was the Istituto per le Opere di Religione - better known as the Vatican Bank. In the late-1970s, Calvi was caught making illegal international transactions. Though convicted, he was permitted to continue to lead the bank, pending appeal. Despite efforts to silence investigators, scandals continued to come to light, resulting in the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano in 1982. A few weeks later, Calvi went missing. His body was found hanging from a bridge in London.

As if financial misdeeds and the suggestion of corruption in the Vatican weren't enough, Calvi was a member of an illegal Masonic organization with tentacles reaching into every sphere of power in Italy, and plans to overthrow the post-war constitution of the country.

The members of this group were known as the “Blackfriars” because of the robes they wore during their bizarre initiation ritual (which we dramatize in the first episode of our three-part look at this case). Was it just a coincidence that Calvi’s body was recovered swinging from Blackfriars Bridge? Or was it a sign that the dark secrets of this mysterious group would be protected by any means?

Attribution for music used in this episode:

Stay the Course Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). (Modified from the original.) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Assassinations Podcast Theme Music (Intro, Outro, and Transitions) written and performed by Graeme Ronald