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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, NOVEMBER 16, 1984
Q. "Do you see Franz Josef Strauss often•••?"
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A. "Well I don't see him often•••• When we talk about politics
head to head, he's brilliant. I don't mind that but otherwise
he's too blustery."
Q. "You can look back through history many centuries ago and
know that Charles V was your great-great-great-great grandfather.
Does that do something to your everyday thinking?"
A. "I am descended from him through the Madeirian Line, but no-
I feel more empathy toward my Grandfather Karl I, who was the
last Emperor of Austria. Incidentally, � Grandmother Zita is
still living. She is 93 years old, totally blind, but she has a
sharp clear mind. She has a staff of advisors who keep her up-to
date on the latest world news. You can sit down with her and
carry on conversations about what is happening in the world today
and she will know everything you're talking about."
Q. "Do you feel the monarchy will ever be restored to Austria?"
(Just then an elderly lady standing beside me nudged me and said:
"you don't mean that question, do you?!" The Archduke did not
mind it.)
A. "There was a poll taken in Austria much like your Harris Poll.
Eleven percent of the people surveyed said that if they had their
choice of a government they would want to live under the mon
archy. Now eleven percent does not seem to be a very high figure
but the same poll was taken in Belgium and only one percent of the
people wanted a monarchy."
Q . (From a young female student) "Who then would be the Emperor
if that were to materialize?"
A. "My father is 73 years old and had to renounce any pretension
to the throne.
I have five sisters--! am the oldest of my
brothers--I would."
Q. "You admitted that even though the Common Market is moving
along very well toward unity there are a lot of border problems
due to different languages and customs. If that remains a prob
lem, wouldn't you draw upon the influence of the Catholic Church
to settle such disputes since much of the Market is Catholic?"
A. "Most certainly yes. But I take their advice when it's good
and disregard it when it's bad. For example, there was an Irish
Catholic priest who was smuggling arms into a country in Africa
dealing in revolution. The man was caught by the authorities and
promised not to do it again. He returned immediately to that
activity--was caught again, and again told the authorities he
would not do that again. He was released. The church said that
we should have aided much more in his release. I told the church
that that man should have been shot."
Q. "Are you related to the Royal House of Windsor?"