Translation of Boniface VIII's Unam Sanctam

[japhy]

A friend of mine has a blog post considering the translation of the last line of Pope Boniface VIII’s Unam Sanctam, which reads:

Porro subesse Romano Pontifici omni humanae creaturae declaramus, dicimus, definimus, et pronuntiamus omnino esse de necessitate salutis.

He provides several common translations:

“Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff." (Fordham Medieval Sourcebook)

“Now, therefore, we declare, say, determine and pronounce that for every human creature it is necessary for salvation to be subject to the authority of the Roman pontiff." (1913 Catholic Encyclopedia) [note: no translation of *omnino]

He also provides one I’d never seen before, and one which I’m curious is actually a proper translation:

“Furthermore, we declare, say, define, and proclaim to every human creature that they by necessity for salvation are entirely subject to the Roman Pontiff.” (Denz [English] 469)

This one applies omnino to the degree of subjection to the Pope, rather than to the degree of necessity for salvation. But the more intriguing part of this translation is that it presents the last part of the document as matter-of-fact.

He then provides a fourth translation from a friend of his (not me):

“Furthermore, we make clear, assert, define, and proclaim to every human creature that to be subject to the Roman Pontiff is entirely on account of the necessity of salvation.”

Any comments on these latter two translations?

 

[Hesychios]

Unam Sanctam was a political document, sent specifically to Philip the Fair.

Pope Boniface was applying leverage upon the king for political reasons, declaring that after all the king is his political subject. Essentially he was claiming all kings (presumably including pagan and infidel kings) are the Pope’s vassals and should acknowledge that fact.

King Philip responded in a predictable way, he tried to have the Pope killed. Apparently he was not impressed with the legal arguments.

Later, he engineered the transfer of the Papacy to Avignon and treated the Popes as his own vassals, which seems to have solved the problem for him. Unam Sanctam was forgotten by the Curia.

 

[The_Prodigal]

The syntax favors the translation found in the Fordham Medieval Sourcebook. *[O]mnino *stands before esse de necessitate salutis. (Without more context), there is no warrant for extending the scope of omnino to the phrase subesse Romano Pontifici.

 

[duckbill]

Unam Sanctam was a political document, sent specifically to Philip the Fair.

Pope Boniface was applying leverage upon the king for political reasons, declaring that after all the king is his political subject. Essentially he was claiming all kings (presumably including pagan and infidel kings) are the Pope’s vassals and should acknowledge that fact.

King Philip responded in a predictable way, he tried to have the Pope killed. Apparently he was not impressed with the legal arguments.

Later, he engineered the transfer of the Papacy to Avignon and treated the Popes as his own vassals, which seems to have solved the problem for him. Unam Sanctam was forgotten by the Curia.

This has always been accepted as an infallable statement:
Unam Sanctam:“Now, therefore, we declare, say, define, and pronounce that for every human creature it is altogether necessary for salvation to be subject to the authority of the Roman pontiff.”

Pius XII confirms this in his encyclical MYSTICI CORPORIS CHRISTI:

1. That Christ and His Vicar constitute one only Head is the solemn teaching of Our predecessor of immortal memory Boniface VIII in the Apostolic Letter Unam Sanctam; [61]** and his successors have never ceased to repeat the same.
   **
2. They, therefore, walk in the path of dangerous error who believe that they can accept Christ as the Head of the Church, while not adhering loyally to His Vicar on earth. They have taken away the visible head, broken the visible bonds of unity and left the Mystical Body of the Redeemer so obscured and so maimed, that those who are seeking the haven of eternal salvation can neither see it nor find it.
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The Document itself, Unam Sanctam, doesn’t need to be infallible. Since the Pius XII clearly says:

and his successors have never ceased to repeat the same.

This kind of repetition, puts it into the Infallible-Universal-Ordinary-Magesterium.( that’s a mouth load )

So yes it is an infallible statement but not because of the document it was written in.