Today, Leo XIV appointed Monsignor Francesco Antonio Soddu, 66, as the Archbishop of Sassari, Italy.
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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