The lady says this about Unam Sanctam:
"In the Middle Ages one regarded the Church of having absolute and universal authority, and especially the Pope. There is a papal document including the infallibility-formula at the end that defines just this!’
That is the “allusion” I mention in the OP. Her emphasis is on “absolute” authority is in reply to my assertion that the Church’s infallibility is only engaged in matters of faith and morals.
First, authority and infallibility should be distinguished. The Pope does not only have teaching authority (for which he has the charism of infallibility), but also governing and judicial authority in the Church. One cannot resist this authority without sin either and the Church still teaches this (it was defined at the First Vatican Council and reaffirmed at the Second, for example). So the Church even today acknowledges this universal authority of the Pope.
However, she may also be referring to an idea entertained by some medieval theologians, that the Pope had universal civil jurisdiction, as well as universal ecclesiastical jurisdiction. She may be arguing that Unam Sanctam dogmatized this idea.
There’s a lot packed into the short Bull, but the dogmatic definition at the end of Unam Sanctam clearly ties into the section dealing with the necessity of belonging to the Church subject to the Pope for salvation. It was reaffirmed explicitly in this sense,by the Fifth Lateran Council.
Lateran V:
Moreover, since subjection to the Roman pontiff is necessary for salvation for all Christ’s faithful, as we are taught by the testimony of both sacred scripture and the holy fathers, and as is declared by the constitution of pope Boniface VIII of happy memory, also our predecessor, which begins Unam sanctam, we therefore, with the approval of the present sacred council, for the salvation of the souls of the same faithful, for the supreme authority of the Roman pontiff and of this holy see, and for the unity and power of the church, his spouse, renew and give our approval to that constitution, but without prejudice to the declaration of pope Clement V of holy memory, which begins Meruit.
Some at the time did misinterpret Unam Sanctam the way your debate opponent may be doing and Clement V, who became Pope after Boniface VIII and the short papacy of Benedict XI, issued the declaration cited by Lateran V to clarify that Unam Sanctam did not effect the civil authority of the king of France, but only his duties as being a subject of the Church–in other words, it did not make the Pope the absolute ruler of other nations:
Clement V:
That is why we do not wish or intend that any prejudice be engendered for that king and kingdom by the definition and declaration of our predecessor Pope Boniface VIII of happy memory, which begin by the words “Unam sanctam.” And we do not wish or intend that through this declaration the aforesaid king, kingdom and its inhabitants be more subject to the Roman Church than they had been before, but we wish that all be understood to remain in the same state as it had been before the above-mentioned declaration, both with regard to the Church and to the aforesaid king, kingdom and its inhabitants.
geocities.ws/caleb1x/documents/meruit.html
To add to this, prior to Unam Sanctam, a forged bull (
Deum Time) was circulated that had Boniface VIII purportedly claiming to be the feudal lord of France and that France was subjsect to him in both spiritual and temporal matters. Boniface outright refuted its authenticity and the claims wrongly ascribed to him.
The idea that the civil power is subordinate to the spiritual power contained in Unam Sanctam has to do with the fact that even kings are subject to truth and true morality and the Church is the authority and judge as to what is true morality. Temporal authority is bound to have laws that govern the people in true justice and morality, and the Church is the authority as to what is true justice and morality. It is an indirect, not a direct authority. These principles were carried out in a very special way during the time of Christendom, when pretty much all the people and rulers were also members of the Church, and so Unam Sanctam reflects this historical relationship as well.
I hope that helps!
See also this articel on Unam Sanctam from the Catholic Encyclopedia:
newadvent.org/cathen/15126a.htm
PS: the following document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is a great explanation of the infallibility and overall authority of the Magisterium, and the kind of assent that is necessary. It is in the context of explaining the different paragraphs of a profession of faith required of clergy and other teachers:
ewtn.com/library/curia/cdfadtu.htm
