Spanish bishop resigns - out of love for erotic writer

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The Almudena Cathedral in Madrid (symbolic image)

Photo: DOMINIQUE FAGET / AFP

In Spain a bishop resigned because he fell in love with an author of satanic erotic books.

This is reported by the BBC, citing the Spanish media.

When Bishop Xavier Novell announced his resignation last month, the Roman Catholic Church gave purely personal reasons without going into detail.

Xavier Novell was considered a rising star in the Spanish Catholic Church.

His decision to resign with the approval of the Vatican came as a surprise last month.

He reportedly met several times with Vatican officials and the Pope himself prior to his resignation.

The bishop held traditional attitudes towards abortion, his outspoken support for Catalan independence and his sharp views on homosexuality were controversial.

Accordingly, he campaigned for so-called conversion therapy for homosexuals and carried out exorcisms.

The online platform Religión Digital first caused a stir with a report that the bishop fell in love with the divorced Silvia Caballol, a psychologist and erotic writer. The news site reported that Xavier Novell is now looking for a job as an agronomist in the Barcelona area. Neither the former bishop, who is 52 years old today, nor the writer have officially commented on the reports. Religión Digital quoted him as saying: "I fell in love and want to do things right." The diocese emphasized in a statement that "the confirmation or non-confirmation of this story is a purely personal matter for him.

The case again raises the issue of celibacy within the Church.

In previous interviews, Xavier Novell admitted that he fell in love with an 18-year-old girl in his teens and later wanted to get married and have children before moving on to another path.

Xavier Novell was appointed Spain's youngest bishop in Solsona in northeastern Catalonia in 2010 at the age of 41.

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