Mary Bahia-Zilar
When the French King Philip IV decided to tax the clergy in preparation for war against England, Pope Boniface VIII considered it an abuse of secular power and responded quite aggressively. In 1296 he wrote Clericis Laicos, asserting his spiritual authority over secular authority by declaring that anyone enforcing the tax would be excommunicated. In addition to this, he declared that anyone who submitted to the tax would also be excommunicated, and that no excommunication would be reversed except in the “article of death.” He believed that those who submitted to the tax were afraid of offending “a temporal more than the eternal majesty.” While he did not address King Philip IV by name, his tone came across as very personal, heated, and non-debatable. He made it clear that he did not intend to “compromise with such a horrible abuse of the secular power.” Rather than using reason or scripture to defend his authority and position, he chose to display his authority by threatening those who went against him with spiritual separation from the church. This was a denial of access to the sacraments. Philip IV reacted by denying the pope access to French gold and silver- a major source of revenue for the church. Philip IV countered the pope’s ban with own of his own.
In 1301 Philip IV arrested a newly appointed bishop because he had not given his approval for the appointment. Pope Boniface VIII wrote a new bull in response, Unam Sanctam, and again asserted his authority as the Apostolic See. This time, however, he took a different approach. Here, he attempted to defend his papal authority through a well-built, scripturally-supported argument. How could one argue against the pope’s authority, when it was divinely given? He stressed the oneness of the church as the body of Christ and the importance of hierarchy- first the head, then the body: Christ, then the successor of Peter; spiritual authority, then secular authority. Pope Boniface VIII argued that by denying his power, which was given to him by God, a man would be resisting “the ordination of God,” which could jeopardize his salvation. This approach attempted to equate loyalty to the pope with faithfulness to God. One’s salvation was dependent on the acknowledgement of papal authority. The tone here was less personal and heated, but perhaps more threatening. The pope upped the stakes for Philip IV.
Perhaps because of that pressure, King Philip IV responded with a personal attack. He had his councillor, who was knowledgeable in the law, create a largely propaganda-based argument asserting that Pope Boniface VIII was actually a heretic. While he didn’t utilize scripture, he did rely on public opinion, which can give us some insight into the kinds of concerns Christians of the time period had. By using supposed quotes by the pope, the councillor painted the pope as a hypocrite who did not follow church doctrine. The pope, who had defended the validity of his authority through church doctrine, was now finding the validity of his authority being challenged through church doctrine. King Philip IV was turning the tables.
Interestingly, many of the slanders are also related to the pope’s view of the French: “he would rather be a dog, ass or any other brute than a Frenchman…,” “He has often said that if nothing else could be done to humble the king and the French, he would ruin himself, the whole world, and the whole church….,” “he has termed the French, notoriously a most Christian people, heretics….” This last one seems to take the pope’s attacks on Philip IV and expand them to all of the French, thus making the validity of Pope Boniface’s authority a more public issue. This is meant to offend the French and cause them to question the pope.
Other issues that come up: the pope’s spiritual purity. He is accused of being advised by a demon, of sleeping with concubines, of compelling priests to violate the secrecy of the sacrament of Confession. He is accused of simony. It seems that the councillor was taking all of the controversial issues within the church at the time and making Pope Boniface the source behind all of them. He became the face of church corruption, and an easy target. I believe Pope Boniface eventually backed down.
When the French King Philip IV decided to tax the clergy in preparation for war against England, Pope Boniface VIII considered it an abuse of secular power and responded quite aggressively. In 1296 he wrote Clericis Laicos, asserting his spiritual authority over secular authority by declaring that anyone enforcing the tax would be excommunicated. In addition to this, he declared that anyone who submitted to the tax would also be excommunicated, and that no excommunication would be reversed except in the “article of death.” He believed that those who submitted to the tax were afraid of offending “a temporal more than the eternal majesty.” While he did not address King Philip IV by name, his tone came across as very personal, heated, and non-debatable. He made it clear that he did not intend to “compromise with such a horrible abuse of the secular power.” Rather than using reason or scripture to defend his authority and position, he chose to display his authority by threatening those who went against him with spiritual separation from the church. This was a denial of access to the sacraments. Philip IV reacted by denying the pope access to French gold and silver- a major source of revenue for the church. Philip IV countered the pope’s ban with own of his own.
In 1301 Philip IV arrested a newly appointed bishop because he had not given his approval for the appointment. Pope Boniface VIII wrote a new bull in response, Unam Sanctam, and again asserted his authority as the Apostolic See. This time, however, he took a different approach. Here, he attempted to defend his papal authority through a well-built, scripturally-supported argument. How could one argue against the pope’s authority, when it was divinely given? He stressed the oneness of the church as the body of Christ and the importance of hierarchy- first the head, then the body: Christ, then the successor of Peter; spiritual authority, then secular authority. Pope Boniface VIII argued that by denying his power, which was given to him by God, a man would be resisting “the ordination of God,” which could jeopardize his salvation. This approach attempted to equate loyalty to the pope with faithfulness to God. One’s salvation was dependent on the acknowledgement of papal authority. The tone here was less personal and heated, but perhaps more threatening. The pope upped the stakes for Philip IV.
Perhaps because of that pressure, King Philip IV responded with a personal attack. He had his councillor, who was knowledgeable in the law, create a largely propaganda-based argument asserting that Pope Boniface VIII was actually a heretic. While he didn’t utilize scripture, he did rely on public opinion, which can give us some insight into the kinds of concerns Christians of the time period had. By using supposed quotes by the pope, the councillor painted the pope as a hypocrite who did not follow church doctrine. The pope, who had defended the validity of his authority through church doctrine, was now finding the validity of his authority being challenged through church doctrine. King Philip IV was turning the tables.
Interestingly, many of the slanders are also related to the pope’s view of the French: “he would rather be a dog, ass or any other brute than a Frenchman…,” “He has often said that if nothing else could be done to humble the king and the French, he would ruin himself, the whole world, and the whole church….,” “he has termed the French, notoriously a most Christian people, heretics….” This last one seems to take the pope’s attacks on Philip IV and expand them to all of the French, thus making the validity of Pope Boniface’s authority a more public issue. This is meant to offend the French and cause them to question the pope.
Other issues that come up: the pope’s spiritual purity. He is accused of being advised by a demon, of sleeping with concubines, of compelling priests to violate the secrecy of the sacrament of Confession. He is accused of simony. It seems that the councillor was taking all of the controversial issues within the church at the time and making Pope Boniface the source behind all of them. He became the face of church corruption, and an easy target. I believe Pope Boniface eventually backed down.