Enciclopedia Cattolica

AUSCULTA FILI

Volume II · p. 259 · 1949

English translation · Testo originale italiano

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

«AUSCULTA FILI». – A bull issued by Pope Boniface VIII on 5 Dec. 1301 to Philip IV, King of France. It begins with the same words as the Rule of St Benedict. In it the Pope firmly reproaches the king for trampling upon the rights of the Church and oppressing the clergy with a veritable tyranny; he summons him to Rome to justify himself before a synod that was to be held on 10 Nov. 1302. The original

of the bull was burned in France on 10 Feb. 1302, after it had been read out. It was replaced by the forgery *Deum time*, drawn up by the chancellor Pierre Flotte and circulated together with the alleged and crude reply of the king, « Sciat tua maxima fatuitas in temporalibus nos alicui non subesse etc. », to incite the people against the Pope. The dispute over this bull is but one episode in the tragic struggle between Boniface VIII and Philip IV.
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Bibl.:** Les registres de Boniface VIII, ed. G. Digard, Paris 1884-1921, III, cols. 328-35, no. 4424; Potthast, 25,097; Helfe-Lecercq, VI, pp. 398 ff.; R. Holtzmann, A.f., in Deutsche Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft, new series, 3 (1897-98), pp. 16-38; K. Bihlmeyer, A.f., in LTHK, I, col. 842; J. Rivière, s.V. in DHG, V, cols. 767 ff.