Bishop Michael Curry says he 'could feel slaves' at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding
Bishop Michael Curry has reflected on the opportunity to give a sermon at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2018 wedding, revealing that he could “feel slaves around the place” following his emotional speech.
Curry, who recently published a new book Love is the Way, discussed his experience at the royal wedding in a new interview with People.
"After I preached the sermon, I just remember it was like I could feel slaves around the place," the Bishop said. "I don't mean to be spooky, but it was like their voice was somehow heard that day. I included one of their songs, There is a Balm in Gilead.”
The 67-year-old, who is a descendent of slaves, also said that he took the feeling as a “sign of hope”.
"It was like their voice, one of their songs, one of their descendants was there that day. The Queen was most gracious," he said. "The fact that all happened, for me, it's a sign of hope. It's a sign of hope that one who descends from people who were captured in the slave trade, probably the British slave trade, is brought from the shores of West Africa, to the shores of America. That one of their descendants was in the presence of the Queen of England, and he quoted one of their songs.
“That's hope that we don't have to be the way we've always been."
During the royal wedding, Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the US, gave a 14-minute sermon on the power of love.
Although he did not know the Duke and Duchess of Sussex prior to the wedding, he previously told US Weekly that it did not take him long to realise the couple loved one another deeply.
“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," he told the outlet. "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.’ They look at each other, and their love brought the rest of us together."
While Bishop Curry is no longer in touch with the couple, who have since moved to California, he told People that he continues to pray for them.
He’s also a supporter of Meghan’s recent advocacy for voting, telling the outlet: “We need help. We need healing. She does that. She's lifting up women and we need somebody to lift up women, lift up people. Lift up people of all colours. The truth is, a rising tide raises all ships."
You can purchase Love is the Way here.
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