Spain: When a Bishop Cuts His Own Wages

Mauro Pianta
February 18, 2012

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/world-news/detail/articolo/spagna-spain-espana-12762/

Mgr. Xavier Novell (photo by ACI Prensa)

It is likely some will accuse him of demagogy. But 42 year old Xavier Novell, Spain’s youngest bishop whose praises are often sung in women’s newspapers, is going ahead with his plan. “I am reducing my salary by 25%: from 1200 to 900 Euro a month. I am doing this to show my genuine solidarity to those who have been hit hard by the crisis.”

Catholic news agency ACI Prensa reported Mgr. Novell’s reasons for making this gesture: “Catholics cannot remain impassive in the face of need; we cannot we cannot act like the passers-by in the parable of the Good Samaritan and ignore this. Everyone – he stressed yesterday as he presented his pastoral document on the crisis - can do something. This crisis was caused by the fact that we all wanted to live beyond our means. We can only come out of this crisis if we work together: in the Diocese we have taken the first step by making this small sacrifice…”

Small though it may be, this sacrifice has caused uproar in Spain. Mgr. Novell, Bishop of Solsona (appointed in 2010 by Benedict XVI) cannot be included among the group of bishops who are champions of the Third World and committed only to the “social” side of faith. On the contrary, Mgr. Novell is considered a firm Ratzingerian. But he is also a man who likes to stray from the reassuring cliches attached to Church life. In an interview with Spanish daily newspaper El Pais he said: “Testifying the faith is the only true way to become a progressivist. Some say Christianity spread out of envy. I strongly agree: people saw that Christians were happy and converted. Our generation has lived off private income, but we can no longer afford to do this: people need to announce the Gospel in a friendly and courageous way.” Whichever way one looks at it, cutting one’s own salary certainly requires a great deal of courage.