The Last Emperor, The Lord's Servant

In these years of commemoration of the First World War, the figure of Blessed Charles of Austria, may be studied in greater depth by historians. He was an important figure, one who sought peace in the midst of war and was willing to take chances to achieve that peace. That he failed to do so is no fault of his, the hearts of all parties in the war had been hardened, as feared by US president Woodrow Wilson. 

Some historians regard Charles as naive, even incompetent, a man ill-suited to his role. I do not agree with this, he was a man, perhaps not well versed in the ways of political intrigue - he had too much integrity for that, but he was a realist, a realist in that he saw what war was, how ugly it was, and he did not care about a victory, he was not prepared to pay any price for victory, he sought peace. He alone of all the combatants listened to the pleas of Pope Benedict XV and did what he could to respond to them.

It is also interesting to note that of all the leaders in that war he fared the worst. As the Kaiser settled into a life of comfort in Switzerland, Charles, refusing to renounce what he saw as his duty of service to his people, would not abdicate, and so faced exile, separation from his children for a time, and then an early death.

In these years of commemorations, as we remember the dead of World War I, as we lament over the uselessness of war, and of this war in particular, as we remember peacemakers, let us promote one of the greatest of them all: Charles of Austria. Today is his feast day, he was one of the last Beati declared by St John Paul II, and he may well be canonised soon as a strong miracle is making its way through the Congregation of Causes of Saints. How wonderful it would be if he were to be canonised during these years of remembrance.

May Blessed Charles intercede for us all; may he pray for peace, for peacemakers and for the hearts of those torn apart by anger, violence and despair. 

Blessed Charles moments after his death 

It Started

I feel I have to mark this moment: 11pm on the 4th August 1914, when Britain declared war on Germany and the First World War began for us. Thousands of Irish men fought in the British army, which was at that time our army and our country, and many of them died defending not just King and country, but for the cause of freedom. My great-grandfather was among them, thankfully he survived, but he bore the scars of battle for the rest of his life.

Their noble gesture was made in the light of the crazy refusal of powerful men to talk to each other, to find a peaceful way of resolving their differences, a great refusal which led to the deaths of millions. Pope Benedict XV pleaded with the warring factions, they ignored him. When Blessed Charles of Austria became Emperor of Austria he sought to make peace, to end the war, they ignored him too. Peace was rendered mute.

There are many lessons to be learned, we haven't learned them yet. But let us remember in prayer all those souls who died in this bitter conflict. Among them heroic priests like Fr Willie Doyle who offered his life for those he served in the trenches, dying a martyr of charity. And we must not forget that nobility and courage was to be found among those the allies were fighting, we remember them too.

Sir Edward, later Lord, Grey, Foreign Secretary, famously said that with the outbreak of this war "The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime". Tonight people are extinguishing lamps and candles to mark the beginning of the war. I'm not so sure about that. Perhaps we should be lighting them again - why withdraw into darkness as we remember the horrors of war? Rather should we not come out into the light, and spread that light throughout the world so peace can speak in the light rather than be muffled in the darkness?

Let us pray for all those who died: 

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, 

and let perpetual light shine upon them, 

may they rest in peace. Amen.

Blessed Charles of Austria, pray for us

Fr Willie Doyle, pray for us

We Will Remember

 

For a long time Remembrance Sunday was looked upon with deep suspicion here in Ireland - another trapping of Imperialist British rule.  The poppy was almost forbidden, and those who wore it thought to be oddballs at best and traitors at worst.   A great many Irish citizens felt alienated because as men and women who had taken part in the Great War and the Second World War their loyalty to the "Republic of Ireland" was in question.  It was decided by someone in the dim and distant past that a real Irish nationalist would not have gone to fight for the Sasanach*.   Yet plenty of proud Irishmen and women went to serve in the British Army and other national armies because they believed that the World Wars were not about British Imperialism, but something else. 

 

Thankfully things are changing and today many in Ireland can feel proud to be Irish, loyal to the Republic and still remember the men and women who gave their lives in the cause of freedom and peace in the World Wars and other international conflicts.  The poppy, the symbol of this commemoration, is not blooming with great abundance in Ireland yet, but that may change. 

 

My personal connection with the Wars is twofold.  My great-grandfather fought with the British Army in the First World War and sustained injuries, including shellshock.  A cousin of my mother fought in the Second World War, again a member of the British Army, and was one of those who barely escaped with his life at Dunkirk - he never spoke about happened him there.  I did not know either of these two relations, but their stories were recalled by members of my family, and it is only of late that I am beginning to take pride in their heroism and sacrifice: they believed in freedom so much they were willing to be ostracised in their own country for their stand.  

 

There are also two other connections: my growing devotion to Fr Willie Doyle, proud Irishman and priest who died on the battlefield in Passchendaele in the Third Battle of Ypres, offering up his life to tend to soldiers who were injured and dying.  And then there is a local poet here in County Meath, Francis Ledwidge, a committed nationalist, who died a few weeks earlier in July 1917, also in that battle.  Ledwidge is one of Ireland's finest lyrical poets and he was a major influence on our late Seamus Heaney.  (I wonder, did Francis know Fr Doyle?  Francis, we are told, had been to confession and Mass, and had received Holy Communion on the morning he was killed - so he was committed to his faith: perhaps he may have been ministered to by Fr Willie).

 

Fr William Doyle, SJ, MC and Francis Ledwidge

 

When we mark Remembrance Sunday, we remember these heroic Irishmen and many others, perhaps some from our own families, who went to serve in the cause of freedom.  Many of these were men of peace - on both sides of the conflict.  Chief among them was Blessed Charles, Emperor of Austria-Hungary who, as soon as he came to the throne in 1916 began negotiations to end the war, even accepting defeat if necessary.  He failed in that endeavour because the leaders of the other countries in the conflict had gone too far, the taste of blood and the lust for pure victory had so intoxicated them they were unwilling to listen to reason.  Many historians are not favourable to Charles, they seem him as a weak man, incapable of carrying out his duties and whose efforts were doomed to failure from the start.  Well, that may be their opinion, Saints are rarely understood by the secular - they often appear weak and other worldly, but the fact remains: if people had listened to Charles the war would have ended much sooner.

 

That said, let us remember in our prayers all those who died in these conflicts and pray that peace may finally come into the hearts of men and women, for it is only when peace reigns there that we will see an end to war.

 

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* (Irish: "Saxon", term of abuse in Ireland for British)

End Of An Era

As you know I have a devotion to a number of saints, among them Blessed Charles of Austria - a peacemaker, who sought to end World War I and was rewarded for it by being exiled by the Allies.  News has reached me that his son, Otto von Habsburg has died at the age of 98.  He was an outstanding European statesman who, instead of lamenting the loss of his right to become Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, pushed up his sleeves and got down to work in the hope of bringing peace to a war torn continent.  May the Lord have mercy on him, and may his parents, Blessed Charles and the Servant of God, Zita, pray for him and all of us.

The young Otto von Habusburg at with his parents Blessed Charles and the Servant of God, Zita, at their coronation as King and Queen of Hungary in 1916.