#itavat

Instead of becoming Germany after his physical death, as most would assume, HRE became the representative of the Vatican. This is because he wasn't the representative of an imperial collective of states, in the typical sense, to begin with. Rather, he was the personification of what drew them together - the protection of the Roman Catholic faith. The Vatican serves much the same function now, and the Vatican states are considered by many to be the religious heart of Italy (let alone the heart of Catholic world) so it makes sense HRE would perform a similar role in his present life as he did in his first one; a role that would allow him to be close to Italy.