Spain bishop stripped of powers for marrying satanic author

Spain's youngest bishop has been stripped of his church powers, the country's Episcopal Conference said, after he married a woman identified as an author of satanic erotica.

"As is publicly known, Bishop Xavier Novell Goma, Bishop Emeritus of Solsona, has contracted a civil marriage with Ms. Silvia Caballol, on November 22, 2021 in the town of Suria, in the province of Barcelona," the conference (CEE) wrote in the statement.

Any cleric attempting to get married, even if only civilly, is subject to suspension, the statement added.

The churchman will retain his title as a bishop but will not be permitted to carry out any of the roles associated with the post including "the administration of the sacraments."

"Any teaching activity, both in public and private, is prohibited," it added.

The scandal broke in the autumn when the 52-year-old bishop's relationship with Silvia Caballol, the author of works including The Hell of Gabriel's Lust, became known publicly.

On the site of her publisher Lacre, the writer is described as "a dynamic and transgressive author who made her mark in the challenging world of literature upsetting our moral and ethical mores."

Novell is now prohibited "from exercising all the rights and responsibilities inherent in the episcopal function," said the CEE, which did not rule out "other possible consequences." (AFP)