Of Bishops, Champions and Chancellors: an Asteroid Triptych
Some asteroid names are resonant to particular job titles or accomplishments. In this article, we’ll examine three, two of which have been featured in the news lately.
On August 23rd, Pope Francis acquiesced to a rather unusual request: 52-year-old Xavier Novell i Goma, Bishop of Solsona, Spain, submitted his resignation for “strictly personal reasons.” In good health, at the prime of life (for clergy), the bishop’s departure raised eyebrows and caused speculation in sacred and secular circles. Novell was elevated to his see in 2010, at age 42, one of the youngest bishops Spain had ever known. It took the Spanish press awhile to smoke out the details, but on September 5th the sordid story broke – the ex-bishop had left the church to cohabit with a 38-year-old divorcee, Silvia Caballol Clemente, with whom he had fallen in love. Caballol is a novelist. Of erotica. Satanic erotica. Well, at least she doesn’t have a penis.
