In Italy, Catholic bishops have refused to perform funeral services for members of Masonic lodges

In Italy, church authorities decided to cancel the funeral Masses for two deceased men after it became known that they belonged to Masonic organizations. These measures were taken in strict accordance with canon law to avoid a public scandal, according to Life Site News.

The first incident occurred in Rome, where the funeral service for 88-year-old guitarist and professor Bruno Battisti D’Amario was canceled. After the “Grand Orient of Italy” lodge published an obituary confirming the deceased’s high Masonic status, the leadership of the Diocese of Rome prohibited the holding of a church ceremony. Despite the clergy’s initial desire to show mercy, the decision of the church hierarchy was unequivocal: a funeral service in the church proved impossible.

A similar incident occurred the following day in the town of Camporosso. Bishop Antonio Suetta, having learned from the press that the deceased, Mario Tarducci, was a venerable master of a Masonic lodge, ordered the cancellation of the funeral service at the parish church. In both cases, the diocesan administrations relied on Canon 1184 of the Code of Canon Law, which stipulates that a church burial must be denied to individuals whose public conduct or activities could cause scandal or lead the faithful astray.

Church authorities emphasized that these decisions do not constitute a definitive exclusion from prayer: the faithful may still commemorate the deceased during regular liturgical services, after the civil portion of the funeral has concluded.