From The New Age Magazine, December 1969 (pp. 34-6):

Astronaut Visits Grand Commander

The history of Masonry in the space age took another step forward on September 16, 1969, when Astronaut Brother Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., 32°, visited the House of the Temple in Washington. Accompanied by his father, Edwin E. Aldrin, Sr., also a Scottish Rite Mason, Astronaut Aldrin paused in his busy schedule to greet Grand Commander Smith and to present to him the handmade Scottish Rite flag he had taken to the moon.

The flag is made of white silk, measures 22 x 30 centimeters, and is edged by a band of gold. It is embroidered with the words “The Supreme Council, 33°, Southern Jurisdiction, USA” and the motto “Deus Meumque Jus.” It is also decorated with the double-headed eagle, the crown of the Thirty-third Degree, the insignia of the Sovereign Grand Commander, and the insignia of a Master Mason.

On that historic lunar flight from July 16 to 24, 1969, the presence of this flag symbolized Masonry’s universal importance. When man reaches new worlds, Masonry will be there.

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NB: Some of the following material is verbatim from a few posts I did at ATS. Since I own the copyright, it is my prerogative to reproduce in anyway I see fit.

Diploma of Giosue Carducci from Propaganda Massonica, Rome on April 21, 1886 (the original P2 Lodge)

Back in June there was a story (in English) about the Italian authorities having concluded an investigation  “into attempts to slow down legal proceedings against members of the mafia with the help of members of the Freemasonry”:

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