Welcome back to Sensus Fidelium! Steve sits down with renowned Catholic author and historian Charles Coulombe to dive deep into the astonishing life of Empress Zita of Austria—wife of Blessed Karl (Charles) of Austria—their faith during World War I, exile to Madeira, the postwar years, and how their legacy still shapes Catholic life today.

We cover Zita’s toughness and piety, Karl’s peace efforts, the Mayerling mystery (Crown Prince Rudolf), Otto von Habsburg’s anti-Nazi work and role in postwar Europe, the “Sound of Music” myths vs Austrian reality, The Third Man, Clear Creek Abbey, the cause for canonization, and more. Expect jokes, history, and unapologetic Catholic perspective.

📚 Books discussed:
• Zita: Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary — Charles Coulombe
• Blessed Charles of Austria: A Holy Emperor and His Legacy — Charles Coulombe

💸 TAN Books coupon: SF15 for 15% off select titles.

🙏 Causes & places mentioned: Clear Creek Abbey (OK), Blessed Karl Prayer League, International Theological Institute (Trumau, Austria), Laval University, anti-Nazi resistance, Pan-Europa movement, and the EU’s roots in Christian democracy.

If you’re a Catholic history buff, monarchist curious, or just love a good true story, this one’s for you.

0:00 Intro & disclaimers
0:51 Charles Coulombe returns: setting the table
3:10 “Sound of Music” vs Austrian reality
4:30 The Third Man, Vienna post-war
6:10 Why Zita’s life proves things “make sense” in God’s time
8:00 Zita’s upbringing, marriage to Archduke Karl (1911)
10:40 Franz Ferdinand, peace party, and 1914
12:35 Karl & Zita’s push for peace (1916–1918)
13:20 Wilson, the fall of the Empire, exile & Madeira
14:50 Karl’s holy death; Spain’s king intervenes
16:45 Flight from Nazis; Lisbon to North America
17:50 Zita in Quebec; children at Laval; sons in resistance
18:55 Post-war Austria & Karl Renner critique
22:45 John Paul II, “my Empress,” & Blessed Karl’s beatification
24:30 Mayerling revisited: murder or suicide?
29:20 Zita’s funeral, Iron Curtain tremors
30:15 Why Blessed Karl’s feast is their wedding day (Oct 21)
31:45 Royal causes reopened (Europe)
33:40 Zita’s lived piety: Mass, Sacred Heart, motherhood
34:50 War, starvation, and Zita’s famous rebukes
36:00 Food stories, chefs, and love of the people
37:40 Homeschooling the Habsburg way (languages daily)
38:50 “The greatest emperor Europe never had” — Otto
40:35 Writing the Zita book; American years (Royalston, Tuxedo Park)
42:05 Family memories & matriarch realities
44:20 Why Americans love Karl & Zita (leadership & sacrifice)
46:20 Politics vs self-sacrifice
47:00 Coulombe’s upcoming project on Otto & America
50:20 Habsburg philanthropy in the U.S. (missions & parishes)
55:10 Pan-Europa, communism, and post-1945 Europe
1:00:15 Christian democracy, subsidiarity & solidarity
1:03:40 EU origins vs today; leadership critiques
1:04:55 Otto’s part in the Iron Curtain’s fall
1:05:50 Closing: ITI (Trumau), student life, invites & code SF15

https://tanbooks.com/products/books/zita-empress-of-austria-and-queen-of-hungary/
https://tanbooks.com/products/books/blessed-charles-of-austria-a-holy-emperor-and-his-legacy/

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