39

Commander Olivetti escorts Vittoria Vetra and Robert Langdon through the Apostolic Palace toward the Office of the Pope. Olivetti remains visibly angry after being forced by the camerlegno to bring them in, while Langdon is struck by the palace’s art, grandeur, and sacred significance.

Inside the sunlit papal office, Langdon and Vittoria meet Carlo Ventresca, the late Pope’s camerlegno. Contrary to Langdon’s expectations of a frail Vatican elder, Ventresca is young, charismatic, plainly dressed, and visibly exhausted by the recent days of crisis. He receives them politely despite Olivetti’s discomfort and insists that the concern is not Vittoria’s appearance but the fact that he was not informed of a major security threat before conclave.

Olivetti tries to minimize the matter and says he has security under control, but the camerlegno challenges him as interim director responsible for the conclave’s safety. Langdon intervenes by giving Ventresca the faxed image of Leonardo Vetra’s murdered body.

Vittoria identifies Leonardo as her father, a priest and scientist murdered the previous night. Ventresca reacts with compassion and horror, then notices the burn on Leonardo’s chest. Langdon explains that the word is “Illuminati” and argues that the symbol is authentic because of its symmetrical ambigram design.

Ventresca knows the lore of the Illuminati and their legendary brandings, but he warns that he lives in the present and doubts the return of a supposedly dead enemy. Langdon admits he would have agreed the day before, but the current chain of events has convinced him that the Illuminati have resurfaced to fulfill an ancient pact: the destruction of Vatican City. Ventresca is confused by the apparent impossibility of that threat, and Vittoria prepares to reveal further bad news.