An Italian diocese is facing mounting tensions as groups of Catholics raise concerns over decisions affecting several priests, access to the traditional Latin Mass, and a pilgrimage involving the Society of St. Pius X.
The disputes have emerged in the Diocese of Ivrea since Bishop Daniele Salera took leadership of the diocese in February 2025, according to LifeSiteNews, citing reporting from the Italian newspaper Giornale La Voce and Catholic outlet AdVaticanum.
Among the controversies is a decision affecting Father Raffaele Roffino, whose opportunities to celebrate the traditional Latin Mass in Turin were restricted earlier this year.
According to La Voce, Catholics who attended the traditional liturgy reacted with consternation, with some feeling they were being treated as “second-class Catholics.”
Another dispute emerged when a pilgrimage led by priests of the Society of St. Pius X traveled to the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows outside Turin. The pilgrimage had reportedly been announced in advance, and participants planned to conclude their journey at the sanctuary with prayers.
When the pilgrims arrived, however, they found the shrine closed.
LifeSiteNews reported, citing La Voce, that the shrine’s rector, Father Luca Meinardi, closed the sanctuary to the group under instructions from Bishop Salera.
La Voce described the decision as “a choice that inevitably clashes with an ecclesiastical lexicon that in recent years has emphasized words like welcome, inclusion, dialogue, and mercy.”
Father Aldo Rossi, who led the pilgrimage, criticized the decision upon the group’s arrival.
“They open to everyone, except those who defend the doctrine,” he told the pilgrims.
Rossi also argued that the decision stood in contrast with accommodations sometimes made for other Christian communities, saying, “Churches are opening their doors to Protestants, even allowing them to celebrate Mass in a parish here in Turin.”
The controversy surrounding the diocese extends beyond questions involving the traditional liturgy.
Father Kamal Chelladurai, a 42-year-old Indian missionary priest, wrote to diocesan officials and the faithful on September 14 describing difficult conditions he said he experienced while serving under Father Davide Smiderle, parish administrator of Rondissone.
According to LifeSiteNews, Chelladurai said his Mass schedule sometimes provided him with only about 10 minutes to celebrate a Mass.
“I felt bad about celebrating a Mass in 10 minutes and giving so little time to the community,” Chelladurai wrote.
The priest also alleged that his belongings had been removed from the rectory, that the building was entered while he was away, and that doors were locked after he returned from Lourdes. According to AdVaticanum, Chelladurai further said that Piedmontese was sometimes spoken during meals “so that he would not understand.”
“I really struggle to live like a slave,” Chelladurai wrote.
According to the reports, Chelladurai sought assistance from Bishop Salera but said the bishop instead told him he could “go home to India” or go “to a psychiatric community for treatment.”
Chelladurai subsequently announced that he would take time away from ministry.
Other decisions involving priests have generated public demonstrations from parishioners.
Earlier this year, the rectory of Father Mario Viano in Bosconero was searched by the Forestry Carabinieri as part of an investigation by the Ivrea Prosecutor’s Office concerning allegations related to the care of animals, according to LifeSiteNews. Authorities reportedly seized approximately 200 grams of marijuana and thousands of euros in cash during the search. The investigation remains ongoing.
Following the search, Viano resigned from his position. The diocese said the decision was mutually agreed upon and that the priest would enter a period of “retreat and silence” while the investigation continued. AdVaticanum, however, cited other sources claiming Viano had not agreed to the arrangement.
His departure prompted a significant reaction among Catholics in Bosconero and San Benigno.
Parishioners sent letters and emails to Bishop Salera, organized a petition and participated in a five-kilometer torchlight procession in April carrying the message, “We want our parish priest back.”
When Bishop Salera later arrived in Bosconero for Confirmation on April 26, a banner in the town square declared, “I stand with Don Mario.”
The subsequent transfer of Father Alberto Carlevato also generated opposition. Carlevato had served the communities of Mazzè and Villareggia for 25 years before being transferred to Bosconero and San Benigno.
A petition asking Salera to reconsider the move reportedly gathered 1,078 signatures.
A committee calling itself “We Are Church Too” was also formed amid the controversy. In correspondence to the bishop, Catholics raised concerns about the situations involving Viano and Carlevato as well as a dispute involving parish assets in Montalenghe.
The signatories wrote that they had experienced a Church with the face “not of a mother, but of a stepmother.”
Tensions became particularly visible when another banner appeared in Bosconero welcoming Carlevato while declaring, “It’s Salera who needs to be kicked out.” The banner was removed before Mass, according to the reports, although photographs later circulated.
The disputes present an increasingly difficult pastoral situation for the Diocese of Ivrea, bringing together questions surrounding priestly assignments, treatment of clergy, attachment to the traditional Latin Mass and the Church’s relationship with Catholics associated with the SSPX.
The accounts of the individual disputes rely substantially on statements from the priests, parishioners and publications covering the controversy. The reports provided do not include detailed responses from Bishop Salera or the Diocese of Ivrea to several of the specific allegations made against diocesan leadership.
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