Sic transit gloria mundi.

In my preceding post on Otto von Habsburg's funeral, I promised to write something on the Anklopfzeremonie, which has previously been a part of Habsburg obsequies and may have been performed for the very last time when the former Crown Prince of Austria and Prince Royal of Hungary was laid to rest Saturday evening in the Habsburg family crypt in Vienna's Kapuzinerkirche. The title of this ritual is perhaps most easily rendered in English as the 'Knocking Ceremony,' though the German anklopf conveys a more specific sense of 'knocking on' something, such that a better (albeit wordier) translation might be, 'the Ceremonial Knocking on the Doors.'

As you can see in the above video, the Anklopfzeremonie is fairly straightforward. A Habsburg family representative (in imperial times, I suppose this would have been the Lord Chamberlain) approaches the closed doors of the Kapuzinerkirche and knocks on the door three times. On the other side of the door, the Capuchin friar who serves as custodian of the crypt answers, "Wer begehrt Einlass?" ("Who desires entrance?") In response, the chamberlain reads a long list of the deceased's titles, ranging in this case from erstwhile Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary to Voivode of the Voivodeship of Serbia. The Capuchin answers emphatically, "Wir kennen ihn nicht!" ("We do not know him!") The chamberlain again knocks three times, the Capuchin again asks who wishes to be let in, and the chamberlain responds by again invoking the royal status of the deceased (in Otto's case, this was substituted with a recounting of some of his personal accomplishments, such as his service in the European Parliament). The Capuchin again says, "Wir kennen ihn nicht!" The chamberlain knocks on the door three more times, with the Capuchin again asking who wishes to be let into the church. The chamberlain replies, "Otto – ein sterblicher, sündiger Mensch!" ("Otto, a mortal, sinful man!") The Capuchin answers, "So komme er herein!" ("He may come in!") Only then are the doors opened and the coffin brought into the church.

I first learned of the Anklopfzeremonie several years ago, when I saw video footage of the ritual being performed for Otto's mother Empress Zita, who was interred at the Kapuzinerkirche in April 1989. Among other things, the Anklopfzeremonie bears poignant witness to the transience of our earthly existence and the inescapable nature of the four last things. The Capuchin guardian of the crypt remains unmoved by the announcement of the deceased's earthly titles and honors, opening the door only to those who express humility and repentance. The message of this simple yet powerful ritual is one that we all need to hear, for even the least powerful among us can easily forget that all earthly things are ultimately ephemeral.

Otto von Habsburg was a great statesman and humanitarian, a devout man who used his considerable talents to serve others. Like the rest of us, he was also an imperfect human being and a sinner in need of God's mercy. May we who believe in the power of prayer and the reality of the final judgment remember to pray for God's servant Otto and for all who sleep in Christ. AMDG.