Beatificazione Imperatore CARLO D'AUSTRIA (1887-1922)

Roma 3 Ottobre 2004

Charles of Austria was born on August 17, 1887 in the Castle of Persenbeug in the region of Inferior Austria. His parents were the archduke Otto and the Princess Maria Giuseppina of Saxony, daughter of the last King of Saxony. Charles expressly received a Catholic education and since the childhood he was accompanied in the prayer by a group of people, since a stigmatized religious had prophesied great sufferings and attacks against him.

From this, after the death of Charles, it had origin the «League of prayer of the emperor Carlo for the peace of the people», that became a community of prayer officially recognized in 1963.

On October 21, 1911 he married the Princess Zita of Borbone-Parma. In the ten years of happy and exemplary matrimonial life the couple received the gift of eight children.

On June 28, 1914, following archduke Francesco Ferdinando's murder, heir to the throne in an attack, Charles became the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

While the First World war raged, with emperor Francesco Joseph's death, on November 21 of 1916, Charles became Emperor of Austria. On December 30 was crowned apostolic King of Hungary.

The most sacred duty of a King - the appointment for the peace - was set by Charles at the center of his worries during the terrible war. Only, among all the political responsible, who supported the efforts for peace of Benedict XV.

His behavior made at the end of the conflict possible a transition to a new order without civil war. Nevertheless he was banished by his country.

For desire of the Pope, that feared to settle some communist power in the Mittleuropa, Charles tried to reestablish his authority of government in Hungary. But two attempts failed, since he wanted in every case to avoid the burst of a civil war. Charles was sent in exile in the island of Madeira. Since he considered his assignment as an order of God, he could not abdicate to his position. Charles bore his suffering without complaints, he forgave to all those people who had missed against him and died on April 1, 1922.