Head of US church reaches out to Harry and Meghan to offer support

From Page Six-

The head of the Episcopal Church, who delivered a powerful sermon on the “power of love” at the 2018 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, has reached out to the couple after their break from Britain’s royals.

US bishop Michael Curry, the first African-American to lead the Episcopal Church, is offering his “pastoral care” as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry settle in to their new life in Canada, according to the Times of London.

Citing civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., the Chicago-born Curry gave a rousing sermon at the couple’s lavish wedding at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. His 14-minute speech, which drew smiles and some confused looks from the assembled royals and the couple’s celebrity guests, touched on themes of reconciliation and harmony in families — sentiments that seem oddly prescient today after the couple’s bombshell break with the Queen.

More here-

https://pagesix.com/2020/01/18/head-of-us-church-reaches-out-to-harry-and-meghan-to-offer-support/

Prince Charles now 'royal patron' of ChristChurch Cathedral rebuild

From New Zealand (with video)-

Prince Charles has thrown his support behind the reinstatement of one of New Zealand's iconic landmarks, as the week-long royal tour nears an end.

The ChristChurch Cathedral is in a state of disrepair following the Christchurch earthquakes.
The future king is stepping in, announcing he'll become the royal patron of its reinstatement.
The royal patronage recognises and reinforces the significance of the cathedral as the centre of Anglican worship in Canterbury, a heritage treasure, and city icon," said Rev Peter Carell, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch.

"We are thrilled that the Prince of Wales has also made a substantial donation to the project, which we hope will encourage others. His Royal Highness' commitment to our special place will enhance interest in the cathedral nationally and internationally."

More here-

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/11/prince-charles-now-royal-patron-of-christchurch-cathedral-rebuild.html

Prince Charles plans to attend Cardinal Newman’s canonization

From England-

Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, plans to attend the October 13 canonization of Blessed John Henry Newman, the prince’s office announced Friday.

Charles will travel to Rome for the event and, following the ceremony, attend a reception at the Collegio Urbano, part of the Pontifical Urban University, and the institution where Newman studied to become a Catholic priest.

Queen Elizabeth, 93, no longer travels abroad, so the Prince of Wales is the highest royal available to be on hand for the ceremony in St. Peter’s Square.

Expected to become king upon his mother’s death or abdication, Charles also will become head of the Church of England. The soon-to-be St. John Henry Newman is one of the highest profile converts from the Church of England to the Catholic Church. He will become the first English non-martyr saint since the Reformation.

More here-

https://aleteia.org/2019/09/14/prince-charles-plans-to-attend-cardinal-newmans-canonization/

Child abuse inquiry criticises Prince Charles' 'misguided' intervention to shield Anglican bishop

From Common Space-

AN INDEPENDENT INQUIRY will scrutinise the internal procedures of the Church of England regarding allegations of abuse, following its criticism of Prince Charles for misusing his influence to shield his friend, the former Anglican bishop Peter Ball, from scrutiny after Ball confessed to sexually abusing a novice.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) concluded that Ball was “able to sexually abuse vulnerable teenagers and young men for decades”, and stated in its report that the Prince of Wales’ actions in support of the former bishop were “misguided”.

The inquiry’s report found that Ball “sought to use his relationship with the Prince of Wales” in his campaign to return to his position within the church.

While Prince Charles told the inquiry that he was not aware of the significance or impact of the caution that Ball had already been given, and was uncertain whether he even knew Ball had been cautioned at the time, the inquiry nevertheless decided that his actions and those of his staff “could have been interpreted as expressions of support for Peter Ball and, as a result of the Prince of Wales’ future role within the Church, had the potential to influence the actions of the Church of England”.

More here-

https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/14230/child-abuse-inquiry-criticises-prince-charles-misguided-intervention-shield-anglican

PLATELL'S PEOPLE: Don't blame Prince Charles for sex abuse bishop Peter Ball - I was duped by Rolf Harris

From The Daily Mail-

Over the years, I have been a fierce critic of Prince Charles. Yet now an inquiry has ‘damned’ him over his misguided backing for a bishop exposed as a serial paedophile, I find myself in the unusual position of being his defender.

Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Gloucester, was convicted in 2015 of abusing 18 boys and young men. 

By then, he had been a friend of Charles for more than 20 years — despite Ball having been cautioned by the police in 1993 for gross indecency and resigning from the Church in disgrace.

Charles saw him regularly and corresponded with him, telling him he was the victim of ‘monstrous wrongs’ and giving him money. The bishop prayed with the Prince at Highgrove and became Charles’s long-term mentor.

The Prince claimed that he never realised Ball’s 1993 caution carried an admission of guilt. But that seems naïve, particularly for a future head of the Church of England.

More here-

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7017073/PLATELLS-PEOPLE-Dont-blame-Prince-Charles-bishop-Peter-Ball-duped-Rolf-Harris.html

Yo, New York Times editors: The Episcopal Church's leader is The Most Rev. Michael Curry

 From Get Religion-

The question: Why are more and more reporters and copyeditors ignoring Associated Press style rules when it comes to the formal titles of ordained religious leaders? In this case, I will go ahead and add a question that I have asked many times (one example here): Why do formal titles that have existed for decades (or in some cases centuries) seem to vanish when journalists write about (a) African-American clergy and/or (b) ordained women?

Here is the passage in question, in which someone at the Times (I will not assume the reporter) was caught up in informal Meghan-and-Harry fervor and, well, forgot to give a certain American clergy person the R.E.S.P.E.C.T. that he deserves. Here is the reference, in context:

The baby is sure to be the object of uncommon fascination, adored and criticized as a symbol of the modernization of Britain’s royal family.

Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, have shaken up the royal family in a number of ways: The duchess is an American and a former actress, and their wedding last May featured a gospel choir, a freestyling African-American bishop and a gaggle of Hollywood celebrities.

They continued to set aside convention after the wedding, opening their own Instagram account and offering little access to the royal-obsessed British news media. In April, they announced they were canceling the traditional photo opportunity outside the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in the heart of London, curtailing the ritual hullabaloo that usually surrounds royal births.

More here-

https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2019/5/7/yo-new-york-times-editors-the-episcopal-churchs-leader-is-the-most-rev-michael-bruce-curry

How Prince Harry and Meghan’s baby may make history in Britain’s royal family

From ABC-

The diversity Meghan brings to the royal family was also noted at her wedding to Harry, which included a gospel choir and a sermon by Rev. Michael Curry, the first black leader of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. and the first American to preach at a British royal wedding. 

“The love between those two people, between that loyal couple, was so powerful, not only did we all show up, but it brought all these different worlds together,” Curry told ABC News’ Good Morning America last May. “It brought different nationalities, different ethnicities, different religious traditions, people of all stripes and types, people of different political persuasions.”

He continued, “Their love was a sign of God’s love and what that love can do in our lives. It brought together our African heritage, our British heritage, our American heritage.” 

More here-

http://kwbe.com/abc_world/how-prince-harry-and-meghans-baby-may-make-history-in-britains-royal-family-abcid36174584/

Orkney monk sends hate mail to Episcopal priest who prayed for Prince George to be gay

From Scotland-

“Brother” Damon Kelly, 57, bombarded the Reverend Kelvin Holdsworth, the Provost of St Mary’s Cathedral Episcopal church in Glasgow, with letters and post cards branded gay people “devil’s droppings”.

The anti-gay mail littered with vile phrases and insults included assertions gay people “will not enter the kingdom of heaven” and called for Rev Holdsworth to hang himself.

Kelly, from Westray – who is part of an extremist Catholic group known as the Black Hermits – denied behaving in a threatening or abusive manner between January 30, 2017, and February 7 the same year, by sending the mail, which was aggravated by sexual orientation and transgender prejudice.

More here-

 https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/1684273/orkney-monk-sends-hate-mail-to-episcopal-priest-who-prayed-for-prince-george-to-be-gay/

Westminster Abbey service celebrates Middle East Christians

From Westminster Abbey-

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales attended a service to celebrate the contribution of Christians in the Middle East, at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday 4th December.

The service was led by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, who said in his Bidding:

In this Advent season, as we approach the celebration of Christmas, our hearts and minds turn to the cradle of our civilisation, and in particular to Bethlehem as the birth-place of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

So we pray for all the people of the Holy Land and of the surrounding nations. We pray that they may live in harmony one with another, respecting difference and celebrating common humanity. And we pray for peace within each nation and between all peoples of whatever faith.

The Prince of Wales read a Reflection expressing concern for the difficult situations endured by Christians in the region, and support for those communities most affected.
Further Reflections were read by His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of Jerusalem; and Maulana Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Director General and Chief Imam, Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society.

More here-

https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-news/christians-middle-east/

Justin Welby pays tribute to 'prophet' Charles on 70th birthday

From England-

The Prince of Wales has been described as a "prophet" by the Archbishop of Canterbury as he paid tribute to him on his 70th birthday.

The Most Rev Justin Welby said the heir to the throne had shown his "prophetic instincts" in his championing of the environment and his early warnings of the threat posed by plastic pollution.

The leader of the Anglican church was speaking as peers in the House of Lords hailed the Prince of Wales' "outstanding service to the nation" and wished him "many happy returns" on turning 70.

Referring to accusations levelled at the prince of "meddling" in public affairs, the Archbishop said: "In the Church we politely say 'being prophetic'.

"To some extent, his Royal Highness is a prophet.

"A prophet in the Old Testament is someone who sees slightly further into things than other people and, perhaps to some people's discomfort at times, may bring them out and is then proved to be right.

More here-

https://www.premier.org.uk/News/UK/Justin-Welby-pays-tribute-to-prophet-Charles-on-70th-birthday

Charles WILL be Defender of the Faith: Prince of Wales is fascinated by Islam and Judaism but will take Anglican vow when he's King, writes biographer ROBERT JOBSON

From The Daily Mail-

Queen Elizabeth II, as we all know, is a devout High Church Anglican. 

Charles, on the other hand, has taken a great interest in other religions, studying both the Koran and Judaism in depth.

In 1993, for instance, he said: 'Islam can teach us today a way of understanding and living in the world which Christianity itself is poorer for having lost.'

This was widely quoted as proof that he had abandoned Christianity, though he remains a practising Anglican. 

Clearly, however, our next Supreme Governor of the Church of England plans to do the job a little differently.

More here-

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6335719/Prince-Charles-wants-defender-faith-instead-defender-faith-says-Robert-Jobson.html

WATCH: Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry recalls royal wedding sermon

From Allentown-

Video

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry recalls role during royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during visit to Bethlehem, Pa., ahead of the ordination of the Bethlehem Diocese's new bishop. (Harry Fisher / The Morning Call)

More here-

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/104417682-132.html

Markle’s royal arrival blows lid off Britain’s glaring heritage secret

From San Francisco-

But the absolute gem: Markle introduced to both America and the world the Rev. Michael Curry. The first African-American ever to preside over the U.S. Episcopal Church, he affirmed being soundly grounded in Civil Rights legacy.

Rev. Curry’s 14-minute sermon did an astounding thing, flooding the space with Afro spiritual richness, inherited from an unbroken line of Black freedom fighters. Dr. King’s dissertation on “love” being the base of his presentation, Rev. Curry stated, “We must discover the redemptive power of love.”

Rev. Curry proceeded to lecture the detached governing elite on the broader powers of essential love and the critical need to move their subjective love beyond privileged inner circles to the disenfranchised they actually govern.

Then Curry offered a jaw-dropper – driving this home by actually quoting American slaves, saying even from brutal captivity Africans maintained humanity, reminding: “There’s a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole … to heal the sensate soul.”

More here-

http://sfbayview.com/2018/08/markles-royal-arrival-blows-lid-off-britains-glaring-heritage-secret/

Bishop Michael Curry reveals the exact moment he knew Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were in love – and it’s so sweet

From The Sun-

ONE of the stand-out moments from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding was the unforgettable speech by Bishop Michael Curry.

Now the US Bishop has revealed the exact moment he knew that the couple were head over heels for each other – and it’s extremely heartwarming.

Bishop Curry said to US Weekly: "Once I realised this was really happening, it was a real blessing to be a part of that. Because what they did, you could see it. They actually love each other. They really do.
"They look at each other like they love each other. I remember thinking after the sermon, once I preached the sermon, I said, 'These two people love each other.'

More here-

https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/6617518/bishop-michael-cutty-exact-moment-meghan-markle-prince-harry-in-love/

Sudbury faith: Bishop Curry made an impression

From Ontario-

In an age of instant communication, news stories have a very short life. It takes an important event or devastating reality to keep our attention for more than a day or two.

That's why I am so surprised at the ongoing discussion about the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (the current Duke and Duchess of Sussex). If not the wedding, at least the sermon by Bishop Michael Curry has remained a hot topic in my circles.

Before Bishop Curry delivered his homily, this wedding was a traditional Church of England service. I was hoping someone could offer a sense of the Spirit, a touch of joy and enthusiasm to this event.

Bishop Curry from the Episcopal Church of the United States, a sister church to the Church of England, did just that.

People have asked aloud: "Was the sermon too long?" or "did the Bishop speak with too much enthusiasm?" Such comments belie a lack of understanding of the tradition of the modern black preacher within America.

More here-

http://www.thesudburystar.com/2018/06/10/sudbury-faith-bishop-curry-made-an-impression

Royal wedding was beautiful, but how about that sermon?

From West Virginia -

When valorizing Whitfield’s rhetorical aptitude, it would have been just as appropriate for someone to have celebrated that of the poem’s author, for nobody in the colonies was as talented a versifier as her.

The 17-year-old author of the poem was so brilliant in composition that, two years after her lyric for Whitfield, a committee of Harvard scholars was convened to interrogate the woman and to deliberate as to whether she was the author of the verse (they concluded that she was).

Their unfounded suspicions were characteristic of the bigotry of the time, for the woman’s last name was “Wheatley” from the Massachusetts family that owned her, and her first name was “Phillis” after the slave ship which stole her from Africa.

Gates calls the example of Phillis Wheatley the “primal scene of African-American letters.” For Gates and other scholars, Wheatley marks the nascent stirrings of the unique, powerful, full-throated American vernacular of black literature, whose voice has indelibly marked not just our writing, but our preaching, our creating, our laughing and our singing.

More here-

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion/gazette_opinion/op_ed_commentaries/ed-simon-royal-wedding-was-beautiful-but-how-about-that/article_5d28f7e0-b0fd-5b15-bbc1-a1667f706e0a.html

Bishop Michael Curry: How I Wrote the Royal Wedding Sermon — and Why I Went Off Script

From Time-

Preaching at the royal wedding was a blessing for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, I hope. But more importantly, it was a blessing for all of us. It’s amazing that so many people watched it, that the love between Harry and Meghan brought together people, cultures and countries.

I invoked the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. during my sermon because that is what Dr. King was talking about — that even if it was just for a few moments, the royal wedding forced people to cross the lines they draw around themselves. They crossed class lines. They crossed political divisions. Everyone there who heard those words felt it. That day, everybody was so excited inside St. George’s Chapel. We could all see that this couple was in love with each other. It was obvious — it kind of put a smile on everybody’s face. Dr. King’s words are meant for all of us, prince or pauper. The rediscovery of the power of love really does change the world and change our lives.

More here-

http://time.com/5288994/michael-curry-royal-wedding-sermon/

A Royal Wedding with A Royal Message; Episcopal Church Bishop brought church to the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

From The LA Times-

It would’ve been impossible to steal a scene from one of the most anticipated Royal Weddings in history but The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church managed to do it. The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now Duchess of Sussex, offered many pleasant surprises from Karen Gibson and the Kingdom Choir to cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason but Presiding Bishop Curry captivated the world with a moving sermon on God, race and love. So the question is, who is Presiding Bishop Curry?

Learning more about Presiding Bishop Curry brings light to his stirring sermon which touched on slavery as he is descendant of enslaved Africans brought to North America through the trans-Atlantic slave routes. Presiding Bishop Curry was born in Chicago, IL, on March 13, 1953. His father was an Episcopal priest and his mother was a devout Episcopalian. After his mother’s death, Presiding Bishop Curry, along with his sister, were raised by his father and his grandmother. He grew up in a household that held fast to its Christian beliefs.


More here-


http://www.lawattstimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4889&catid=21&Itemid=114

A HOMILY TO REMEMBER

From First Things-

Surveying a throng of English royalty, political officials, visiting dignitaries, beautified guests, and various celebrities and other friends, the preacher stepped up to the lectern to deliver his wedding homily. Streamed by 72 million outlets, seen in more than 180 countries, the sermon’s broadcast was estimated by some media analysts to have reached nearly two billion people.

And soon thereafter it was forgotten. The preacher was the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, and the wedding at which he delivered his seven-minute homily was that of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Middleton in 2011. Today, my guess is that outside of Anglican circles and the environs of London, very few people recall Chartres’s name, despite the fact that he retired from his long and influential bishopric only last year. Only a few more, perhaps, recall what he said at William and Kate’s nuptials.

Contrast that with what happened on Saturday at Windsor Castle. Not much was different as far as the details of the occasion go—the preacher, like Chartres before him, surveyed his congregation, gave an equally meaty sermon (albeit nearly twice as long, bucking the Anglican stereotype), and was seen doing so by close to two billion souls.

More here-

https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2018/05/a-homily-to-remember

‘The blackest moment in global pop culture since Obama’s election night’

From The Washington Post-

In a world where everything is breaking news and everyone has a hot take, I’ve lately insisted on taking a step back to consider what’s going on and what it means. So, it wasn’t until Monday night that I sat down and watched Britain’s Prince Harry marry American actress Meghan Markle. Wow!

Truth be told, I slept through Saturday’s royal nuptials. But my Twitter feed and text messages were filled with awe. Not just the expected gushing over a royal wedding. But also of the unexpected symbolism of this modern-day fairy tale. “OMG, you missed maybe the blackest moment in global pop culture since Obama’s election night,” a dear white friend texted me Sunday morning. He didn’t lie.

I was struck by two things as I watched the ceremony. First, the melding of African American culture with British tradition made me incredibly proud of who we are. Proud as an American, and an African American in particular. While watching the stirring sermon by Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, I was moved to tweet that his booming “voice woke the ghosts in that chapel!” Surely the British had never heard anything so loud, so vibrant, in a church. Black preachers are gloriously and willfully ignorant of the constraint of time, so for African Americans, at 13 minutes, Curry’s was a sermonette. With a message of love and redemption, mentions of Martin Luther King Jr. and slavery, the first African American leader of the Episcopal Church knit the British and their American cousins together in a cloak of commonality and shared destiny. He spoke matter-of-factly and without apology, as was befitting such a joyous occasion.

More here-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/05/22/the-blackest-moment-in-global-pop-culture-since-obamas-election-night/?utm_term=.d39cb2101300