Spanish bishop who married ‘transgressive’ erotica author is stripped of powers

Xavier Novell i Goma was Spain's youngest bishop before abandoning clerical career to marry Silvia Caballol

A controversial Spanish bishop has been formally stripped of his powers and prohibited from administering the sacraments four months after he abandoned his clerical career to marry a dynamic and transgressive" erotic novelist.

Xavier Novell i Goma, who became Spain's youngest bishop aged just 41 when he was appointed to the Catalan municipality of Solsona in 2010, is reported to have backed and participated in so-called conversion therapies for gay people, and has also been criticised for supporting regional independence.