He took part in the October and December 1187 conclaves which elected pope Gregory VIII and pope Clement III. He and cardinal Pietro Diana were sent to mediate between Genoa and Pisa. He also took part in the 1191 conclave which elected pope Celestine III and that of 1198. During summer 1198 he and cardinal Pietro Capuano were chosen as papal legates to follow the crusader army which was about to set out on a new crusade. Despite this Soffredo remained in the curia and Capuano went to Venice to prepare to make the crossing. In 1201 the chapter of the metropolitan cathedral of Ravenna requested him as their archbishop, but the pope chose not to ratify this since he wished to keep the cardinal in his court in Rome. Until the end of May 1202, when he finally set out for the Holy Land, Soffredo remained in the curia and represented the prosecution in several trials.