King Philip IV (“the Fair”) of France vs. Pope Boniface VIII
Extracts from Father Terry’s Verbal Conscience website (http://www.frterry.org), Handouts 127, 128, 130
- King Philip the Fair defines his power (1297 A.D.)
The government of the temporality of the kingdom belongs to the king alone and to no one else and he does not have, nor recognize, any superior. Nor does he intend to submit himself to or be ruled by anyone in any matter concerning things temporal in his kingdom.
- Boniface VIII at the consistory of 1302 A.D.
Our predecessors have deposed three kings of France: the French have all that in their chronicles and we have it in ours; since the king of France has committed all the errors by his ancestors, who were smitten, and more, we shall have the sorry task of deposing him like a naughty boy unless he comes to his senses.
- Accusation by Nogaret, lawyer of Philip the Fair, against Boniface VIII (1303 A.D.)
I claim that the individual in question, surnamed Boniface, is not a pope. He has not entered by the door and must be considered a thief and a robber. I claim that the aforesaid Boniface is a manifest heretic and a horrible simonist, such as there has never been since the beginning of the world.. Finally, I claim that the aforesaid Boniface has committed manifest crimes, of great enormity and infinite in number, and that he is incorrigible. It is the duty of a General Council to judge him and condemn him.