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