THE GREAT
KING--A HABSBURG?
by John R. Fohne
Many believe that The Great King will be primarily a
French monarch who will receive from The Great Pope the title of Holy Roman
Emperor in order to unite all of Europe is the reason why I have chosen to
write this article. Because I believe there are substantial reasons to suggest
another logical explanation is possible. My favorite book on the subject is
Yves DuPont's "Catholic Prophecy" from TAN which presents a situation
that perhaps the various seers and saints depict several different versions of
the Great King to come. Several contemporary orthodox Catholics have also
presented us with a certain divergence in viewpoints regarding the origins of
The Great King to come. DuPont notes in his book two different camps of
thought; first, the Great King will primarily be an offspring from the Kings of
France or; secondly, he shall be an offspring from the Emperors of the Holy
Roman Empire which is synonymous with the imperial dynasty of the Habsburg
family. The Habsburg family has a very long history with the earliest extant
records beginning in the 10th century when history finds them already as
powerful Counts. The first Habsburg to become Emperor was in the 13th century
and they have held the title Emperor within the family for over 700 years with
one small exception. By custom the family still retains the title emperor in
His Majesty, Otto von Habsburg, the current reigning emperor.
Understanding Prophecies
When interpreting prophecies we must understand the
various means of how God has communicated with His prophets. There are three
classical means of how God's prophets have received their valuable information
from God. The lowest legitimate prophetical grade is when the information is
received through the exterior senses of the body, the intermediate grade is
information received through the use of the interior senses of the soul, the
highest grade is information received directly into the intellect without
interference from either the exterior or interior senses and is considered
knowledge received without errors. Most and maybe all of the prophecies seem to
fall either in the lowest or intermediate grade, thus there is an element of
interpretation that the various saints and seers must use in explaining and
communicating their prophetical knowledge. Therefore, the seers and saints
could have misunderstood the detailed aspects of their prophecies by
interpreting with an innocent bias using things familiar to themselves.
Therefore, a saint or seer would interpret that the Great King as either
originating from the French monarchy or Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire
depending upon their innocent biases.
How can both camps be correct or be reconciled? How
can this Great King to come be at the same moment in time a descendant of the
Kings of France and Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, for both are distinct
and separate? So how do we reconcile the two, is it possible? I have been
perplexed by this dilemma for some time. The tools to reconcile the two
divergent camps of prophecy were presented to me while reading St. Augustine's
"Harmony of the Gospels" for I was elated with his various critical
methods used in his successful explanation of how the Gospel writers are in
harmony with each other and thus not contradictory.
Reading Dupont's book and understanding the times we
live in through the eyes of faith both point out clearly that God is much
offended with the errors of democracy and communism. Their constant attacks
upon the Church have greatly hindered her of the right to evangelize the world.
Therefore, God will send A Great King to defend the Church and her people from
the various tyrannical regimes of democracy and communism. All good people have
had stolen from them the greatest civilization of Catholic Europe which was
built by the two most royal and noble houses in all of Catholicism, the French
monarchy together with the greatest and first family of all Catholicism, the
Habsburgs. God shall unite in this Great King the great attributes of those two
royal houses, the absolute monarchical power of the French throne in order to
bring peace to the world and the great family traditions of peaceful and
benevolent rule of the Habsburgs. Hence, once again Our Lord Jesus Christ will
present to His Church the holy rule of an united Holy Roman Empire for all of
Europe. The first being the rule of Constantine the Great, the second under the
great leadership of St. Charlemagne and the third under the Great King
completing the Trinitarian formula.
Why Habsburg?
So why do I say he may perhaps be a Habsburg? Sacred
Scripture is filled with the importance of royal blood providing us with the
example of Our Lord Jesus Christ as a descendant of King David. Except for the
most blind it should have been noted that various gifts are passed on by the
parents to their children. Gifts inherited are bodily, intellectual and
supernatural are all received in various amounts depending upon the parents
abilities in the normal course of events. Sacred Scripture teaches that blessings
(supernatural gifts) are passed down from one generation to another with the
most common noted is for three to four generations. Other examples can be found
in St. Bridget's Blue Book. Parents' noble deeds and virtuous life become gifts
that are inherited by their children. They represent both natural and
supernatural gifts that are inheritable. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that grace
builds upon nature (gifts inherited from parents). If this Great King is to
have the necessary capabilities of an awesome proportion as perfected by grace
the Habsburgs are the most likely providers. The dilution of French royal blood
since the French Revolution is more pronounced when compared to the Habsburg
family which still exists intact and retains control over marriages. Therefore,
the Habsburgs are more likely to provide the world with this Great King for
grace has a larger natural base to build upon.
The past, present and future at the same time is
always omnipresent in the mind of the Blessed Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity
does not live in temporality, only material creation.
Therefore, important events in time provide us with
an understanding of the past, a message for the present and a prophecy for the
future. Nothing is by chance, unless you are a Gnostic. The death of the
Emperor Venerable Karl von Habsburg in exile seems to have indicated to the
world the death of an imperial dynasty. But yet God stills bestows his favors
upon the family. If the family's favor with God has ended, why does God attract
our attention once again to this great family.
Venerable Habsburg
As part of the beatification process of the Emperor
Venerable Karl was to have his coffin opened on the 50th anniversary of his
death by an ecclesiastical and family commission on April 1, 1972. They found
his body INCORRUPT! The family that has given us many saints and holy rulers
now adds another one, the incorruptible Emperor Karl. The beatification process
has ended and we anxiously await the final judgment of the Holy Pontiff to have
him declared Blessed. (1) My interpretation of why the Holy Trinity is pleased
to have given us an incorrupt catholic monarch at this time is because; God is
well pleased with the Habsburgs past, the sacrifices and holiness of Emperor
Karl must be known to the world for the edification of all, and as for the
future God has declared His intentions that He is not finished with His royal
family for they have some major role to play in the future. Father Denis Fahey
has provided us with a story about the heroic virtue of Emperor Karl; while in
exile he was approached by high ranking Masons and they offered him the throne
of Austria back with Hungary in the future if he would allow democratic
(Masonic) reform. He said no because he wished to conform his will to God's
will for what they wanted was against the Faith. Father Denis Fahey was
presenting him as an example for men desiring to establish all things in Christ
the King, because the Emperor turned down an empire for a bitter death in
exile. A book written by Andrew Wheatcroft in 1995 may supply us with some
insights about "The Habsburgs" history. Mr. Wheatcroft has some of
modern man's bigotry which must be removed in order to determine the catholic
content, but he earnestly desired to know what was the driving force of this
family. Whether he realized it or not, the greatest attribute of The Habsburgs
is their quiet holiness of conforming their will with God's Holy and Divine
Will. Mr. Wheatcroft quoted an Emperor in the 15th century that the Great King
would be born a Habsburg if they remained faithful to God and His Church. The
many miracles granted through the Habsburgs for the people they ruled and the
saints the family has given to the church supports the favor they have found in
God's eyes. Modern man is bewildered regarding God's will for nations, in times
past when people were humble and respectful, they would prayerfully look for
leadership from those with whom God's favor rested upon. The Habsburg imperial
dynasty rests upon the favor they have found in God's eyes, not with man.
Future
Governments
Natural forms of government rest on the personal
relationships among families for its foundation, artificiality is foreign to
catholic culture. Europe shall once again be reunited when the nations have
accepted the spiritual sovereignty of the Papacy. Who currently has that
ability, none but the Habsburgs have the family traditions and abilities for an
united Europe with the family as its foundation. Throughout the centuries good
people have looked for leadership that defended the Church and protected their
God-given rights and this light has rested on the Habsburgs. If you have not
given any thought of having a monarch for your natural government, believe me
the enemies of God have seen the coming anarchy and have prepared to present
their own hand chosen monarchs in an attempt to keep the people united. In
Russia the communist have given thought of establishing a member of the
Romanoff family as a ceremonial Czar in order to keep the people united. In
France the enemies of Christ the King are poised to present their own king,
boasting he is a descendant from the offspring of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene.
The enemies of Christ have anticipated that monarchs are coming back by popular
demand, why should not Catholics prepare for one of their own.
What about a Habsburg on the French throne? Is it
not impossible? The current reigning Emperor Otto has written a book titled
Emperor "Charles V". Emperor Otto presents the reader with an erudite
and masterful understanding of the times and difficult decisions made by Emperor
Charles V that were made with incredible foresight and courage procuring
bounteous blessings for all future generations. Emperor Otto relates an episode
in which the Imperial troops of Emperor Charles V having surrounded Paris and
the King of France chose not to attack even though the city was ripe for the
plucking. The Emperor requested what was due him in justice and having received
it he departed. So why does Emperor Otto relate the "popular prophecy
known throughout all of Europe" that Emperor Charles V was to receive the
Kingdom of France through the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi? Perhaps
the actual prophecy does not mention Emperor Charles V by name. Curiously
enough Emperor Charles V never gave any indication that he believed the
prophecy was for him when the fortunes of war were favorable for fulfilling the
prophecy. But, yet Emperor Otto relates it again four centuries later. Was is
possible that the "popular prophecy" had become skewed due to the
popularity of Emperor Charles V. Perhaps the prophecy in question is meant for
a future Habsburg and not Emperor Charles V and Emperor Otto suspects the
"popular prophesy" was slightly inaccurate. Perhaps that may explain
why the Emperor wrote the original book in French and not in his native Language
of German.
A
United Europe?
How shall Europe once again be united under the same
Emperor? How shall the various prophecies regarding the Great King be
reconciled? My studies and interpretation of the times we live in is that he
shall have one parent from the royal and imperial Habsburg family, thus making
him a descendant of the Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. As told by Melanie
Calvat, the stigmatized seeress of La Salette, the son of St. Louis XVI was not
killed but spirited off to Germany and received the last name of Naundorff. The
spouse of the above shall be a descendant of that Naundorff family. Therefore,
the Great King shall also be a descendant of the Kings of France. Thus, Europe
will once again be united in holy wedlock with a natural form of government based
upon the family. Miracles of miracles! Prodigy of prodigies! May the reign of
Christ the King come soon!
(1) League of Prayers, c/o Br. Nathan Cochran,
O.S.B., Saint
Vincent Archabbey, Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA
15650.
John R. Fohne