Royal Wedding Bishop Michael Curry became an instant international star thanks to his sermon about the power of love at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s wedding. Now, Curry is explaining why his theory works.
“The message of love can sound sweet and sentimental and nice in an idealistic world, and yet I would argue that Jesus of Nazareth carried that message to his execution by the power of the Roman Empire, which was the superpower of its day,” Curry told TMZ Monday. “Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko and the people who eventually helped to lead South Africa to freedom did so on nonviolent principals founded in the teachings about love. Dr. Martin Luther King is another obvious example.”
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Curry said he could list plenty of other examples of people using the power of love throughout history to right wrongs and moved the world forward “step by step.”
“The truth is, how is the way the world is working working out for us? We might as well try love!” Curry told TMZ.
Curry told TMZ he met with Oprah Winfrey, who was a guest to the wedding, after the nuptials and shook hands at the reception. The Chicago-born bishop said it was “wonderful” to be at the wedding and “super cool is probably the best way to say it.”
Curry is the first African American head of the Episcopal Church and the son of a Civil Rights activist. He fired up the crowd at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle Saturday and viewers at home who were inspired by his sermon, with its message of love and references to Martin Luther King Jr. He also referenced slaves in the antebellum South.
“There’s power in love. If you don’t believe me, think about a time when you first fell in love. The whole world seemed to center around you and your beloved. Oh, there’s power, there’s power in love,” Curry said in his sermon. “Not just in its romantic forms, but any form, any shape of love. There’s a certain sense in which when you are loved and you know it, when someone cares for you and you know it, when you love and you show it, it actually feels right. There’s something right about it.”
Curry later added, “If you don’t believe me, well, there were some old slaves in America’s antebellum South who explained the dynamic power of love and why it has the power to transform.”
Curry was even parodied by Saturday Night Live less than 24 hours after the wedding, with Kenan Thompson playing him in a “Weekend Update” sketch.
