Leo XIV Appoints Archbishop who Attended Masonic Event in Lodge
Biography
Monsignor Soddu was born on October 24, 1959, in Chiaramonti, within the Archdiocese of Sassari. He was ordained a priest on April 24, 1985.
From 2012 to 2021, he was director of the pro-immigration organization Caritas Italiana.
In October 2021, Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Terni-Narni-Amelia.
Celebrating Masonic Jubilee
On September 27, 2022, Bishop Soddu attended the inauguration of a new entrance to the Casa Massonica (Masonic House) of the Grande Oriente d'Italia in Terni.
Photos published by the Grande Oriente and local media outlets showed Bishop Soddu at the ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside civic authorities, including the mayor and prefect. He later visited one of the lodge’s internal "temples."
The Grand Master, Stefano Bisi, was also present.
According to reports and statements from the Masonic organization, the bishop offered greetings, expressing hope that such initiatives might foster dialogue and overcome prejudice between different communities.
After a scandal, the Diocese of Terni-Narni-Amelia issued a public clarification. The statement said that the bishop’s presence had been misrepresented and that he does not identify with Masonic ideology.
Historian Roberto de Mattei sharply criticized the event. He considered Bishop Soddu’s presence to be more than a minor protocol gesture, viewing it as a symbolic act with theological implications. De Mattei argued that a bishop entering and participating in a Masonic ceremony could be perceived as signaling relativism or doctrinal confusion.
Factional Tensions Precede Soddu’s Return to Sassari
SilereNonPossum.com reports today that Bishop Soddu’s return to his home archdiocese was controversial even before the appointment.
During the nearly year-long vacancy in Sassari, the Apostolic Nuncio allegedly received numerous letters from local priests expressing concern about appointing a Sardinian bishop with established ties to segments of the diocesan clergy.
Such longstanding relationships, the report suggests, could risk reviving old tensions or factional dynamics.
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