«UNAM SANCTAM». — During the conflict that divided Philip IV the Fair and Boniface VIII, the latter published on 18 Nov. 1302 a bull that dealt with the relations between temporal and spiritual power.
In the theoretical part, the Pope subordinated civil authority to the Church and attributed to it the right to judge it in case of “deviation.” The dogmatic conclusion was as follows: “We declare, say, define, and pronounce that submission of every human creature to the Roman Pontiff is necessary for salvation.” The bull aroused controversy. Some did not consider it authentic (P. Mury, *La bulle Unam Sanctam*, in *Revue des questions historiques*, 26 [1879], pp. 91-130), while others attributed it to Giles of Rome (J. Rivière, *Le problème de l'Église et de l'État au temps de Philippe-le-Bel*, Louvain 1926, pp. 394-404). The bull, however, is perfectly authentic and appears in the papal registers (G. Digart, *Les Registres de Boniface VIII* [Bibl. Ec. Franc. Athén. et Rome, 2ª ser., IV], Paris 1884-1935, no. 5382; H. Deniffe, *Specimina paleografica*, Rome 1888, pl. xlvi); nor is there any proof that allows its attribution to Giles of Rome, though its author seems to have used the latter’s treatise *De ecclesiastica potestate*.
The dogmatic definition promulgated by Boniface VIII has a general character and does not name anyone in particular. It contains no allusions to the motives and does not decide the question of the relations between the spiritual and the temporal, which therefore remains undetermined. The definition then introduces no innovations and aligns with the doctrine professed by St. Thomas Aquinas.