The Spanish Catholic Church has formally stripped the country’s youngest bishop of his powers, months after he resigned from his clerical post to marry a “transgressive” author of erotica whose works contain satanic references.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Spanish Episcopal Conference (SEC) said that Xavier Novell – once a high-profile bishop in the Solsona diocese – had forfeited his clerical privileges and powers after marrying novelist Silvia Caballol in a civil ceremony in Barcelona last month.
Citing Canon Law, the SEC – a collection of bishops from dioceses across the country – noted that Novell was now prohibited from “exercising any of the rights and duties inherent to the episcopal office”Be aware “other possible consequences”You could also follow.
Although Novell has been allowed to retain his status as bishop, he cannot conduct any of the functions and roles related to the position – such as “administering the sacraments or engaging in any teaching activity, whether public or private.”
Learn more
In 2010, Novell had become Spain’s youngest bishop when, as a 41-year-old, he was appointed to Solsona, a small municipality in the country’s northeastern Catalonia. His support for independence in the region made him famous. The BBC reports that Novell also supported so-called homosexual conversion therapy and performed exorcisms.
Novell was in the news after reports that he had quit his position on an assignment that was being described as “a very difficult job.” “strictly personal grounds.”Local media reported however that he confided in friends his feelings about the matter. “fallen in love with a woman, for the first time in [his]The best of life [wanted] to do things right.”
The 38-year old Caballol was a clinical psychologist and became a novelist after 2015. Her publisher describes Caballo as a “dynamic and transgressive author.” Her works include titles such as the ‘Amnesia’ trilogy and ‘The Hell of Gabriel’s Lust’, which delves into the “crude struggle between good and evil, between God and Satan, and between the angels and demons.”
Novell or Caballol did not comment on their union, nor the suspension of his clerical rights.
[ad_2]
