What struck me most about the Wedding of Prince William and his Princess was how thoroughly Catholic the entire ceremony was.
Everything from the kneelers to the vows (emphasizing fidelity, permanence and mutual self-gift) to the Our Father (omitting the typical Protestant addendum: "for thine is the kingdom..."), and even the sermon: quoting only Catholic authors: Saint Catherine of Siena and Chaucer. There was a prominent icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Child, and the Church of Westminster Abbey itself is the Church of Saint Peter!
The ceremony began with the clergy explaining the purpose of marriage: procreation, a check for concupiscence, and mutual spousal assistance.
The central theme of the sermon echoed the thought of Pope Benedict in Deus Caritas Est where he says that marital love must mature and reach a selfless nature in order to be real and truly satisfying.
It is, for this reason, very fitting that the Catholic Church declares that for baptized non-Catholics marriage is truly a sacrament.
It is a bit ironic however, that the Anglican communion and it's clergy should not blush at such a ceremony while officially upholding moral positions which directly contradict the sanctity of this august sacrament: e.g. contraception, divorce and "re-marriage", same-sex "unions". Is it any wonder that that community of believers is experiencing a mass exodus to the true Church of St. Peter: that of Rome?
