Smitten Priest Gives Up Church For Erotic Novelist

A best-selling erotic novelist whose partner quit his calling as a Catholic bishop has told the real-life love story of how they fell for each other.

Bishop Xavier Novell Goma stunned churchgoers in Spain’s Diocese of Solsona when he gave up holy orders nearly three years ago (August 2021) for ‘personal reasons’.

But the real revelation came when local reporters discovered he had quit for glamourous erotic writer Silvia Caballol, who pens steamy novels.

One of her works ‘El infierno de la lujuria de Gabriel’, or ‘The Hell in Gabriel’s Lust’ has been described as some critics as having “Satanic overtones”.

Now Silvia has told Spanish TV about their romance and how they were married in church last month (March) with the blessing of Pope Francis.

Silvia told chatshow host Ricard Ustrell: “Our love was born like a flower among stones, against all odds and against all probability.”

She explained that the bishop had never had any kind of romantic relationship before.

In a preview for the show, she said: “As he had never fallen in love, he was convinced that God had given him the gift of celibacy.

“At 50 years old, an emotion appears that says, ‘What about that?’

“Love is very strong. Being able to fall in love is a gift.”

Silvia, who gave birth to twin daughters with Xavier in April 2022, said: “Our love story is something that we reserve for ourselves and our offspring.

“They will one day know how it all went, but it was nothing like what was constructed in the media.

“They are very far from reality. It was a story very beautiful,.

“Love is like that, it disarms you.”

Novell, who studied in Rome, became Spain’s youngest bishop when he took over from his predecessor over a decade ago.

He was known for his modern views, advocating for women in the church and betting on the end of celibacy, but also defended ‘therapies’ against homosexuality.