Bringing changes: Pope Francis in Rome; Harry and Meghan in England

Pope Francis delivered the homily for the mass commemorating the Feast of Mary, the Mother of the Church.   In it, he said:  "The church is a mother, not a bachelor."   Declaring that the Church must "have this attitude of a wife and mother" who nurtures her children.   "When we forget this, it becomes a masculine Church . . . of old bachelors, who live in this isolation, incapable of love, incapable of fruitfulness."

The Pope continued, saying that, like a mother, the Church also goes "along the path of tenderness," knowing how to convey wisdom through the language of "caresses, of silence, of the gaze that knows compassion."   He encourages all to "go along the same path, as "gentle, tender, smiling, full of love."

This homily was for a special occasion when the mother of Jesus is being honored, so perhaps we shouldn't read radical change into it;  but it does also reflect the general tone Francis has set for the Church from the beginning of his years as pope.

He's probably not saying this as a prelude to replacing celibacy with marriage for priests.   I think he's saying that men can have these qualities -- and should certainly strive for them in their pastoral role, as Francis himself generally does.

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Meanwhile, over at the Royal Wedding in Windsor.   When William and Kate married a few years ago, I thought they were the breath of fresh air sweeping through the stuffy old traditions -- especially in their family life, taking care of their kids themselves, etc.    They now seem to have been an important prelude to the more radical changes that Harry and Megham will bring, not primarily to the church itself, but to the traditions of the royal family and its institutions and the culture.

The wedding itself exemplified what will become social and perhaps even protocol changes.   First, the bride herself.   Harry has chosen to marry an American, an actress of television fame, a divorcee, and a biracial woman whose mother is black and whose father is white.

Rather than try to hide any of this as scandal (which the royals are fully capable of providing on their own), the family and the establishment -- and especially the people of the commonwealth -- have embraced Meghan the woman, recognizing that she brings a past life that does not measure up to the chaste days of yore.

Harry had a little more freedom within the tradition, being sixth in line to the throne, instead of second, as is William.   However, being sixth still put him within the orbit that need the queen's permission to marry.   And she gave it.   So Harry and Meghan may be expanding the limits of tolerance, but they are doing it with permission and overall approval from the queen.

Feminine independence and black culture were everywhere in the wedding.   Meghan's gorgeous, elegantly tasteful gown was designed by Claire Waight Keller, the first woman to be the Artistic Director at the historic House of Givenchy fashion designer.

Meghan's father was unable to come to the wedding, having just had heart surgery.    So she arrived at the church in a carriage alone, walked up the steps and half-way down the aisle without an escort -- whereupon, by plan, Prince Charles joined her and she walked the rest of the way to the altar on his arm.   I suspect this was a compromise and it carries its own symbolism -- asserting her independence but also accepting tradition as she came closer into its domain.

Perhaps the most stark contrast visually was the image of Queen Elizabeth, the monarch and grandmother of the groom -- and seated directly opposite to her, the equally dignified mother of the bride, who is  descended from slaves going back to when the American Colonies were ruled by Great Britain.    It becomes even more poignant when we know that the Queen had Ms. Doria Ragland (Meghan's mother) over for tea several days before the wedding -- and that Meghan seems to be fondly welcomed into the royal family.

But there's more evidence of the way the new Duchess of Sussex is going to be bringing more openness and inclusivity to royal traditions.   First, some of her chosen friends to attend the wedding:    Oprah Winfrey, actor Idris Elba, tennis star Serena Williams -- all black celebrities.    During the service, a sermon preached by the African-American Episcopal Bishop jolted the staid Brits with its stirring emotionalism, both in delivery and in message.    This was followed by a gospel choir rendition of "Stand By Me."  It was a totally involved musical performance, with just a shade of restraint that kept it from being shocking in the Anglican cathedral setting.   And the choice of a classical musician to play during the interlude was a 19 year old black cellist who had just won a prestigeous contest in the U.K.

The point:   There was no attempt to hide, or even to subtly downplay, Meghan's mixed race heritage.  It was embraced by multiple examples of inclusiveness.

Harry is already known for his looser life style -- but increasingly for his charitable work and for his organizing the Invictus Games for wounded, injured, or sick service men and women, patterned on the U.S. Warrior Games.    Both William and Harry seems to have been imbued by their mother's compassion for the underprivileged and disadvantaged in societies.

While William as the second in line to become king has more official duties to perform, Harry is likely to devote more of his time to such pursuits.   Meghan seems an ideal mate to join him in this and to bring her own openness and her life experiences to enhance Harry's inclinations toward service.

These two young couples -- William and Kate, Harry and Meghan -- might just save the institution of the British royalty.   Just as Pope Francis, with his emphasis on love, compassion, and the servant-priest identity, may save the arthritic old institution he inherited, the Roman Catholic Church.

Ralph