Unam Sanctam: The Power Of Religion

243 Words1 Pages
Using the Unam Sanctam as his basis, Pope Boniface VIII claims that political power is inferior to and is under the jurisdiction of the Church. According to the Unam Sanctam, the Apostles say that in the Church and its powers, there are two swords, one of the ‘spiritual’ and one of the ‘temporal’ [Lk 22:38]. The spiritual sword is naturally a power of the Church. While the temporal sword is part of Church’s jurisdiction, as confirmed by the word of the Lord to ‘Put up thy sword into thy scabbard’ [Mt 26:52]. Thus, both spiritual and temporal powers are within the Church’s jurisdiction. Because there are two swords, one has to be subordinated to the other. Since there “is no power except from God”, and as spiritual powers represent God, the