Spanish bishop leaves church to marry erotic novelist
Only 11 years ago, Javier Novel became known as the youngest bishop in his native Spain. He was then 41 years old and headed the Diocese of Solsona in the northeastern part of Catalonia, where he was ordained a priest in 1997. Javier is doomed to church service after receiving a bachelor’s degree from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, enlightening many prominent members of the Roman Catholic clergy and receiving a doctorate in 2004. The young bishop has high hopes. as he seems entirely devoted to his service to God.
So when it was recently reported that Javier Novel, 52, had been fired from his church job because he was married, many people were confused. Moreover, he has sworn allegiance to the author of erotic novels Sylvia Cabayol. The 38-year-old writer is known in Spain for discussing a variety of topics in her books, such as madness, sadism, seduction, the struggle between good and evil, and between God and Satan. Some of them are not recommended for people under 18 years of age. Sylvia, a divorced mother of two, has a degree in psychology. She is said to have married the bishop on November 22. And although this happened at a civil ceremony, it was decided to deprive him of the right to serve God, as the Catholic Church forbids its priests to enter into marriages.
“From the moment Bishop Novel entered into a civil marriage, he was forbidden to perform any acts inherent in his episcopal office. He is forbidden to preach – both public and private “, explains the diocesan administrator of Solson, Bishop Roma Casanova. He added that all these actions stem from the code of canon law, and although Javier Novel does not automatically lose his episcopal rank, he is no longer entitled to any of the powers deriving from it.
It seems that he was fully aware of what awaited him if love followed, because on August 23 he resigned for personal reasons. His diocese then explained succinctly that the decision was taken freely and in accordance with the canon, which requires bishops to resign when they become less able to perform their ministry due to ill health or other serious reasons. A few days later, however, Spanish media revealed that Novel had moved to Manresa to live with Sylvia Cabayol.
His decision quickly became world news, as it again raised the question of whether centuries-old celibacy, which requires clergy to abstain from sexual abstinence and celibacy, should be abolished. Some of his critics say he is to blame for some of the problems the Roman Catholic Church has faced in recent years, including allegations of child sexual abuse. In many parts of the world, there is a crisis for clergy due to the obligation of celibacy. In 2019, the church in the Amazon formally asked the Vatican to allow older married men to become priests to meet the religious needs of local people, 85% of whom are unable to attend regular weekly church services because there are no who to lead them. And although her request was supported by many bishops in this part of the world, the conservative wing of the Catholic Church prevailed in the decision, fearing it could lead to a global abolition of celibacy.
Pope Francis himself has also said he believes in celibacy, but has acknowledged that the issue is ambiguous. Proponents of its abolition argue that this bold step is imperative in the 21st century, when people have much more information and choice. They often cite the fact that the Bible does not mention celibacy anywhere, so the marriage vow should not in any way negatively affect the faith in God, but strengthen it within the sacred union recognized by the church.
Spanish Bishop Javier Novel, who has once again made the issue of celibacy of priests hot, has not yet commented on his views on it, despite offers from media around the world. The BBC has commented that the story of his marriage to a satanic-erotic fiction writer is evolving in a way that confuses a person’s values and religious beliefs. The bishop is known in his diocese as a man very devoted to the service of God. He has supported and conducted therapies for homosexuality and exorcism, and compared abortion to genocide. He is said to have met several times with Vatican officials, as well as with the pope himself, before deciding to marry. He was asked by them to cast out the demons and free himself from temptation, but the bishop refused.
So far, neither he nor Sylvia Cabaylo have confirmed that they have become a family. However, the Guardian quoted his friends as saying, “I fell in love with a woman for the first time in my life and I want to do things right.” The publication reveals that Noel has returned to practicing his first agricultural education and works for a company that extracts and sells pig semen. In earlier speeches, he said that in his youth he had feelings for an 18-year-old girl, wanted to get married and have children, but gave up his desires when he decided to dedicate his life to God.
If Javier Novel doesn’t speak out soon about his startling decision to leave the church, Sylvia Cabaylo will probably do so. Citing its publisher, Lacre, CNN portrays her as a writer who has carved a niche for herself in the thorny literary world to turn all our moral and ethical considerations upside down. One of her novels is entitled “The Hell of Gabriel’s Lust” and promises to transport the reader to a world where he will discover psychopathy, sects, sadism, madness, the fierce struggle between God and Satan and angels and demons. In addition to clinical psychology, Sylvia Cabaylo has studied sexology, Catholicism, Islam and yoga, according to her publisher’s website. He describes her as a person who longs to live fully and seeks new emotions and sensations. Certainly, the world’s interest in her wedding to Javier Novel will provide her with such, as it inflames a problem that has been talked about for years, but is fleeing from radical change.
A priest in Italy denied Santa Claus, upset children
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sicily had to officially apologize to the local public after its representative denied the existence of Santa Claus. While talking to children during St. Nicholas Day, Bishop Antonio Staliano explained that the white-bearded old man was a fictional character. “And I would even add that the red suit he is wearing was chosen by the Coca-Cola company solely for advertising purposes,” the priest explained. His words upset the children present, and their parents criticized him on social media.
Diocesan spokesman Alessandro Paolino was quick to apologize, saying his colleague did not want to offend anyone, but tried to draw attention to the cult of consumption, which alienates the current figure of Santa Claus from her alleged prototype, St. Nicholas. “If all of us, adults and children, can learn something from Santa, it should be this: spend less on consumption and share more with those in need,” Paolino said.
In a series of interviews, Antonio Stalliano himself explained that he wanted to explain how the culture of consumerism, including gifts, is different from the culture of giving when you share what you have with others. However, Coca-Cola felt affected and said that they did not create the legend of Santa Claus, but the company’s ads have played a huge role in shaping his cheerful character that we know today. He was first introduced in this way in 1931, before that he looked like a tall and thin man.
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