The Irish author, John Banville, has described the Catholic Church as an “evil” institution that should be “abolished”.

In his latest novel, “The Lock-Up”, the Booker Prize winner features the Church in a malign role: interfering in an investigation into the murder of a pro-abortion campaigner.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Banville revealed his personal feelings about the ecclesial body: “I think it’s an evil institution. It should be abolished. It’s not just the child abuse, but the suppression of women, the hatred of the flesh”.

He added: “My poor mother used to say to me: ‘Laughing will turn to crying.’ She wouldn’t have been like that otherwise. At the end of her life she realised that she’d been had. This whole religious thing was nonsense. It’s a power structure run by men.”

He concluded, “Obviously I’m now prepared for the Catholic equivalent of a fatwa.”

Veteran journalist, Mary Kenny, said his attitude called to mind the penal laws.