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Thanks for the update!

It would seem to me that the Austrian Health minister is less than a "major" figure to send to an event like this. The fact that the Hapsburgs who still claim what is theirs are barred from Austrian soil only serves to underline the hypocrisy of most republics. Although supposedly a free country they would refuse certain people the right to freely express their political & historical opinions. In other words, they can come as long as they promise not to compete. Were this to be done to a republican figure they might be accused of not trusted the "divine" will of the people by limiting their political options. Similar to the French government -you can have any government which the majority wishes, unless of course they wish for a monarchy.

To look at it another way, the repubilcan government may not like to be so blatantly reminded that they deposed and usurped a saint (or almost). I love the line that the Austrian government and the Hapsburgs are on such good terms now; rather like saying you have no problem playing with a dog as long as it's muzzled. They have no trouble with the Hapsburgs because they are firmly under their boot and are forced to renounce any idea of protesting.

Anyway, concerning the great Emperor Charles V, even if he led the holiest life of anyone of his time, his beatification would still be impossible if for no other reason that the great lengths to which he went in order to crush Protestantism. The controversial cause of the great Queen Isabella of Castile is proof of how unpopular it is to fight against anyone, be they Muslim or heretic.

The Sack of Rome is also a very unfortunate and nasty memory. The problem was that the Popes for some time did not recognize the real danger of the Lutherans, which the Emperor saw first-hand. They were still more wary of an emperor with too much power than what was seen as just the latest heretical fad. Most of the troops who carried out the Sack of Rome, in any event, were German Lutherans and Charles V was ashamed of the atrocity and came to Rome later to make peace for it. But, he did the job he was supposed to do as Holy Roman Emperor, acting as the temporal guardian of the Church. It would have helped if he could have concentrated on the Lutherans instead of being distracted by attacks in Italy by his French fellow Catholic.

Anyway, good for Blessed Charles, truly a worthy successor of the likes of Charles V, Maria Theresa and Franz Josef I.

Gott Erhalte Unser Kaiser!