Here you see the coat of arms for the Vatican City State. Take note of the crown on top, a symbol of papal authority. It is a triple tiered crown, that is also called a tiara or triregno in Latin.

Concerning the extent of Papal dignity, authority, or dominion and infallibility.
(Quoadea quoeconcernunt papae dignitatem, auctoritatem, seu potestatem, et infallibilitatem.)

#1. "The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God."
(#1. "Papa tantae est dignitatis et cesitudinis, ut non sit simplex homo, sed quasi Deus, et Dei vicarius.")

#13. "Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions."
(#13. Hinc Papa triplici corona coronatur tanquam rex coeli, terre et infernoram.")

#18. "As to papal authority, the Pope is as it were God on earth, Sole sovereign of all the faithful of Christ, chief king of kings, having a plentitude of unbroken power, entrusted by the omnipotent God to govern the earthly and heavenly kingdoms." (#18. "Deveniendo ad Papae auctoritatem, Papa est quasi Deus in terra unicaus Christifidelium princeps, regum omnium rex maximus, plenitudinem potestatis continens, cui terreni simul, ac coelestis imperii gubernacula ab omnipotenti Deo credita sunt.")

John XXIII wearing the triregno crown presented to him in 1959.

#30. "The Pope is of so great authority and power, that he is able to modify, declare, or interpret even divine laws."
(#30. "Papa tantae est auctoritatis et potestatis, ut possit quoque leges divinas modificare, declarare, vel interpretari, ad num.")

Source: Lucius Ferraris, “Papa,” art. 2, in his Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica, Juridica, Moralis, Theologica, Ascetica, Polemica, Rubristica, Historica. (“Handy Library”), Vol. 5, published in Petit-Montrouge (Paris) by J. P. Migne, 1858 edition, column 1823, Latin.

Here are the relevant Scanned pages from Ferraris' Prompta Bibliotheca for those who would like to see the original Latin text of the above quotes.

These papal claims, to include the presumed authority to modify the divine laws of God, were specifically prophesied in the book of Daniel:

Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: (of the most High) and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

   It is a remarkable fact that the first instance upon record in which the bishop of Rome attempted to rule the Christian church was by AN EDICT IN BEHALF OF SUNDAY. It had been the custom of all the churches to celebrate the passover, but with this difference: that while the eastern churches observed it upon the fourteenth day of the first month, no matter what day of the week this might be, the western churches kept it upon the Sunday following that day; or rather, upon the Sunday following Good Friday. Victor, bishop of Rome, in the year 196,³⁶ took upon him to impose the Roman custom upon all the churches; that is, to compel them to observe the passover upon Sunday. "This bold attempt," says Bower, "we may call the first essay of papal usurpation."³⁷ And Dowling terms it the "earliest instance of Romish assumption."<sup>38

36</sup> Bower`s History of the Popes, vol. 1. pp. 18, 19; 
     Rose's Neander, pp. 188-190; 
     Dowling`s History of Romanism, book 1, chap. 2. sec. 9. 
³⁷ History of the Popes, vol. 1. p. 18.
³⁸ History of Romanism, heading of page 32. 

Source: History of the Sabbath and First Day of the Week, by J.N. Andrews, Chapter 16, Origin of First-Day Observance, copyright 1998, TEACH Services, Inc., ISBN 1-57258-107-7, page 276.

The Papal Tiara

Tiara regularly used to dress the Vatican's statue of Peter. (Probably the 1845 Tiara of Gregory XVI) Click on photo for a close up view

The most respected of the ecclesiastical symbols, the tiara, or triregno, is also a symbol of the pope's authority over the Church. No one knows for certain when the tiara originated, and it has undergone many changes since it first appeared at the Papal Court. The tiara comprises three separate crowns, or diadems. The bottom crown appeared in the ninth century as ornamentation at the base of the mitre.     When pontiffs assumed the temporal role of sovereign princes, they further adorned the base decorations with the jeweled crown of the princes of the time. The second crown was added by Pope Boniface VIII in A.D. 1298 to represent his spiritual dominion. By A.D. 1315, the triregno appears in the documentation of the Papal Treasury. Source: The Church Visible, by James-Charles Noonan, Jr., © 1996, published by Viking, the Penguin Group, ISBN 0-670-86745-4, page 189.

In the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., a triple-tiered papal tiara is on permanent display (See #6 in the virtual tour of the crypt church). This tiara is shown above being worn by Pope Paul VI, who offered to sell it to benefit the poor, however Cardinal Spellman of New York persuaded the pope to donate it to the Catholics of the U.S. in the hope that it would inspire offerings for the world's poor. The medal shown above, depicting the coronation of Pope Paul VI, was sold, and the proceeds then were donated to charities.

On the left is a jewel encrusted triregno tiara that is regularly used to dress the statue of Peter in St. Peter's Basilica on June 29th, the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul. (Probably the 1845 Tiara of Gregory XVI, a gift of Queen Maria Christina of Spain.) Pope John Paul I and John Paul II, in 1978, and Benedict XVI in 2005, all refused a formal coronation ceremony with the triple-tiered crown, as it was considered to be out of step with the less pompous tone set by their predecessor Pope Paul VI and Vatican II's emphasis on the pastoral role of the Papacy, rather than its temporal authority. Benedict XVI even went so far as to remove the triple tiara from his coat of arms, and replaced it with a miter with three stripes representing his papal authority.

From Rome In Colour Copyright by Casa Editrice Lozzi, Rome

The Vatican's papal sacristies of the Sistine Chapel (room of the Copricapi), and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, apparently have nearly twenty papal tiaras, and a few are known to be on permanent display elsewhere.

1. Tiara of Pope Sylvester I (314-335)
   • Basilica San Martino ai Monti (St Martin's in the Hills) on Esquiline hill in Rome (a few blocks southwest of St. Mary Major), also known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti, is said to have a papal tiara in the sacristy thought to have belonged to Pope Sylvester I.
2. Pasteboard tiara of Pius VII (1800)
   • During the sack of Rome in 1527, Pope Clement VII had all the papal tiaras and other regalia stripped of jewels, broken up, and melted down for the gold by Benvenuto Cellini to prevent their capture by the forces of Emperor Charles V.
   • As a result of the Treaty of Tolentino, February 19th, 1797, Pope Pius VI turned over to Napoleon papal tiaras, jewelry, and works of art, to pay the imposed war debt.
   • Napoleon seized any remaining papal tiaras and other jewelry in 1798 when he closed down the papal state and took Pope Pius VI prisoner. It was reported that one gemstone, a large diamond, escaped Napoleon's forces. As a result, Pope Pius VII  was crowned in 1800 with a pasteboard tiara profusely ornamented with gold and silver embroidery and set with imitation colored gems, and the one remaining genuine gemstone.
   • Pope Leo XIII was reported to frequently wear this imitation papier-mâché tiara instead of a real one because it was much lighter in weight, and therefore easier for him to wear.
   • A papal medal from 1805 struck to commemorate Pius VII's meeting with Napoleon, which shows him wearing what is probably the pasteboard tiara.
   • "It is made of cloth of silver stretched over paper or leather, like all the other tiaras, but instead of being encrusted with magnificent gems, it is decorated with films of precious stones as thin as paper, with a backing of tinsel. Don Giacomo calls it all paper, so as to make the most of the rigours of the captivity at Savona and Fontainebleau." — The Secrets of the Vatican, by Douglas Sladen, published by Hurst and Blackett, limited, 1907, pgs. 409, 410.
   • Probably the same tiara listed for 1820.
3. Tiara of Pius VII (1805)
   • Gift of Napoleon, made by Henry August and Marie-Etienne Nitot, House of Chaumet, Paris.
   • Presented to the Pope in Paris on April 4, 1805 (The Times, London, April 16, 1805). Pius VII had been in Paris since November 28, 1804, for the coronation of Napoleon on December 2, and this tiara was presented to the Pope on the day of his departure from Paris. Other accounts say the tiara was delivered to the Pope by Cardinal Fesch in June of 1805 along with a formal written request from Napoleon that the marriage of his brother to an American Protestant be annulled. Pius VII never granted the request.
   • In a letter dated June 23, 1805, Pius VII thanked Napoleon for the tiara, and said he would first wear it for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul (June 29th). (Notes and Queries, A Medium of Intercommunication for Literary Men, General Readers, Etc., Eighth Series, Volume Ninth, January-June 1896, London, Jan. 4th, 1896, pgs. 9, 10, article by Hartwell de la Garde Grissell, Papal Chamberlain of Honor, beginning in 1869, to both Pius IX and Leo XIII.)
   • Intended as an insult according to press reports for the recent museum tour, which claimed it was made intentionally too small for the pope to wear. It also originally had 3 plaques glorifying Napoleon (these have been removed).
   • Described in 1874 as worth £8800, weighing 8 pounds, and having three crowns, all different from each other. (Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. CXV, January - June, 1874, American Edition, Volume LXXVIII, New York, Leonard Scott Publishing Co., May, 1874, pg. 623)
   • Two bands of pearls on each crown.
   • Top crown has a small plaque reading SPIRITUS SANCTUS - POSUIT (EPISCOPOS) - REGERE ECCLESIUM DEI - ACT. APOST. 20/28, citing Acts 20:28.
   • Middle crown has a small plaque reading HINC SUNT DUAE OLIVA - ET DUA CANDELABRA - IN COSPECTU DOMINI - APOC. 11/4, citing Revelation 11:4.
   • Bottom crown has a small plaque reading JUSTITIA ET PAX - OSCULATAE SUNT. - PSAL. 84/11, citing Psalm 85:10 (84:11 in the Latin Vulgate).
   • One of the world's largest emeralds, taken from a tiara originally made by Caradosso (Ambrogio Foppa) for pope Julius II, and re-fashioned by Gregory XIII (who added the emerald), is under the cross on top of the tiara. The emerald weighs 404 1/2 carats and is inscribed "Gregorius XIII, P.O.M." (Pontifici Optimo Maximo). The tiara of Julius II escaped the sack of Rome in 1527 as it was pawned at the time, but it was greatly re-fashioned by Pius VI in 1789, and later broken up by Napoleon. A colored drawing of the original tiara of Julius II, done in the early 18th century, is in the print room of the British Museum.
   • Buried for safekeeping (because of civil unrest) in 1831 by Gregory XVI. When later dug up it was found to be in bad condition and missing gems. Restored by the jeweler Hannibal Rolta in 1833, it weighs about eight pounds (Dubuque Democratic Herald, May 1, 1864).
   • This tiara was reportedly used for papal coronations, to include that of Pope Pius IX on June 21, 1846.
     • The United States Catholic Magazine And Monthly Review, Volume V, 1846, pg. 454.
     • Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, Jan. 6, 1849, No. 262, pg, 74.
   • Worn by Pius IX during the Vatican Council of 1870. (Notes and Queries, A Medium of Intercommunication for Literary Men, General Readers, Etc., Eighth Series, Volume Ninth, January-June 1896, London, Jan. 4th, 1896, pgs. 9, 10, article by Hartwell de la Garde Grissell, Papal Chamberlain of Honor, beginning in 1869, to both Pius IX and Leo XIII.)
   • It was estimated in 1903 to be worth $50,000.
   • The tiara as seen today is not in its original state (see illustration on this page). The tiara was originally encrusted with 3,345 precious stones and 2,990 pearls, but it was reportedly stripped of its gems by Pope Benedict XV*, who sold them and donated the proceeds to victims of World War I. Today the only original genuine jewel remaining on the highly modified tiara is the large emerald on top, the rest are colored glass. * Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb. 3, 2006.
   • Displayed in the St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes museum exhibit.
   • Photo and history on pages 452-3 of St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, by Allen Dunston, O.P., and Roberto Zagnoli, ISBN 0-88397-140-2 (paperback catalogue).
   • A photo is below. A high resolution photo.
   • Illustration of original tiara on this page.
4. Tiara of Pius VII (1820)
   • Lightweight, woven silver cloth, with crowns of gold braiding and imitation gems, topped by a silver cross. Produced in Lyon, France.
   • The top crown is embroidered with bees and the all seeing eye, the middle crown is embroidered with the lamb of God and crosses, and the lower crown is embroidered with triangles (Holy Trinity) and papal tiaras with crossed keys.
   • Photo and history on page 345 of St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, by Allen Dunston, O.P., and Roberto Zagnoli, ISBN 0-88397-140-2 (paperback catalogue).
5. Tiara of Gregory XVI (1834/1855)
   • Two bands of 90 pearls on each crown (see below for picture).
   • Studded with 146 gems and a cross of 11 diamonds on top of a blue enameled globe of gold.
   • As originally made for Gregory XVI, it was too small for Pius IX to wear, so he had it reworked by the goldsmith Pietro Paolo Spagna (1793-1861) to a larger size. Embellishments by Pius IX included his heraldic coat of arms on the lappets / infulae. This reworked / new tiara was worn for the first time by Pius IX on Easter of 1855. (See Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni - Dictionary of Historical-Ecclesiastical Erudition from St. Peter to the Present), by Gaetano Moroni, printed in Venice by Tipografia Emiliana, volume 81, 1856, pg. 64.)
   • Displayed in The Seductive Treasures of Gold and Civilisation, and The Nature of Diamonds museum exhibits.
   • Photo and brief description in Gold and Civilisation, National Museum of Australia, Canberra, 2001, ISBN: 1875460136, on page 161.
   • Another color picture at Corbis (image DL001116)
6. Tiara of Gregory XVI (1845)
   • Gift of Queen Maria Christina of Spain, about July of 1845 (Huron Reflector, Norwalk Ohio, July 15, 1845 and New York Evangelist, Aug. 7, 1845 pg.127).
   • Probably the tiara used to dress the statue of Peter, as the oval coat of arms on the lappets appear to be the abbreviated coat of arms of Spain. (photo)
7. Tiara of Gregory XVI (?)
   • Towards the end of his pontificate, Gregory XVI commissioned this much lighter tiara of thinner pure gold, since he was not satisfied with wearing the sham papier-mâché tiara of Pius VII. The new tiara was valued at $1,500 by Unita Cattolica (Defiance Democrat, Defiance Ohio, July 18, 1878).
8. Tiara of Pius IX (1846?)
   • Made especially for the coronation of Pius IX, June 21, 1846, newspaper reports said this tiara was used in the coronations of both Pius XII in 1939 and John XXIII in 1958, although photos taken at these coronations indicate it was the 1877 blue-banded tiara of Pius IX that was actually used.
   • Contemporary news reports said Pius IX wore the 1805 Napoleonic tiara for his coronation.
9. Tiara of Pius IX (1854)
   • Gift of Queen Isabella II of Spain.
   • Encrusted with about 18,000 diamonds, pearls, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires.
   • Prominent red jewels (rubies?) on each crown.
   • Worn by Pius IX for the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 1854. (Crowns and Coronations, a History of Regalia, by William Jones, London, Chatto & Windus, 1902, pg. 408.)
   • Color picture at Corbis (image 0000355312-004)
   • Another color picture
   • Valued at 500,000 Francs ($50,000), it was reportedly sold by Pius IX for pious and benevolent purposes, but was apparently reacquired by the Vatican as it was recently photographed in the papal sacristy.
10. Tiara of Pius IX (?)
    • Donated to the Congregation of Holy Cross at Notre Dame by Pope Pius IX upon approving its constitutions in 1857, granting Holy Cross official ecclesiastical recognition as a religious institute.
    • On permanent display in the museum of University of Notre Dame's Basilica of the Sacred Heart, South Bend, Indiana.
    • Crowns are progressively larger in diameter towards the top. See photo below.
11. Tiara of Pius IX (1860)
    • Presented to the pope by his Palatine Guard to celebrate the 15th jubilee year of his pontificate (Bay City Press, Green Bay Wisconsin, August 18, 1860).
    • Valued at 20,000 Francs.
12. Tiara of Pius IX (1865)
    • Presented to the pope to celebrate the 20th jubilee year of his pontificate (Advent Review and Sabbath Herald article by Chas T. Everson, dated July 27, 1905, page 11).
13. Tiara of Pius IX (1871)
    • Presented to Pope Pius IX by the ladies of the royal court of Belgium to honor the 25th anniversary of his coronation (see below for picture).
    • Upper crown inscribed: IESV CHRISTI VICARIO INFALLIBILI which means To The Infallible Vicar of Jesus Christ.
    • Middle crown inscribed: ORBIS SVPREMO IN TERRA RECTORI which means To the Supreme Governor of the World on Earth
    • Lower crown inscribed: REGUM ATQVE POPVLORVM PATRI which means To the Father of Nations and Kings.
    • Tall flat-panel segmented crowns.
    • Displayed in the Vatican pavilion of Brisbane, Australia's 1988 World Expo. (The Holy See: Vatican Collection, Desmond MacAulay (Editor), Istituto Trust, ISBN: 0731627628, 1988, item #51.)
    • Displayed in St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes museum exhibit.
    • Photo on page 178 of St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, by Allen Dunston, O.P., and Roberto Zagnoli, ISBN 0-88397-140-2 (paperback catalogue).
14. Tiara of Pius IX (1877)
    • Gift of the Vatican's Palatine Honor Guard for Pius IX's Golden Episcopal Jubilee (May 21, 1877).
    • Neo-baroque, with two dark blue enameled bands on each crown. (see below for color image)
    • Another color picture at Corbis (image DL001141)
    • One of three tiaras displayed as part of the Papal Splendor Treasures of the Vatican exhibit in Utrecht, Netherlands, September 11, 2003, to January 4th, 2004. Also displayed were a replica of the modernistic tiara of Paul VI (1963), and the neo-gothic1887 tiara of Leo XIII.
    • Displayed in Singapore (18 June - 9 October, 2005), in the Journey of Faith exhibit.
    • On display from December 7, 2006 thru April 9, 2007 in the Habemus Papam exhibit at the Lateran Palace, Rome.
    • Used for the coronations of Pius XII and John XXIII.
15. Tiara of Pius IX (?)
    • The lightweight tiara of Gregory XVI was too small to fit Pius IX, so he had a similar lightweight tiara made for himself, apparently in the later years of his pontificate.
16. Tiara of Leo XIII (1887)
    • A gift of emperor Wilhelm I of Germany.
    • This tiara was worn by the pope on December 23, 1887, and January 1st, 1888, in celebration of the Golden Jubilee (50th anniversary) of his priesthood (December 31st, 1887).
    • Set with 1,000 pearls.
    • Valued at $750,000 in 1903. (Trenton Times, July 9, 1903)
17. Tiara of Leo XIII (1887)
    • Gift of the Empress of Austria for the Pope's Jubilee (December 31st, 1887).
    • Valued at 150,000 Flourins. (Davenport Morning Tribune, Dec. 29, 1887)
18. Tiara of Leo XIII (1887)
    • Neo-gothic tiara given to Leo XIII by the Catholics of Paris to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his priesthood (December 31st, 1887).
    • Worn by Leo XIII in procession after the Sunday Mass of January 1, 1888 (Davenport Daily Republican, Jan, 3, 1888).
    • A golden tiara originally studded with 19 emeralds, 11 sapphires, 32 rubies, 529 diamonds and 252 pearls. (The Ave Maria, Notre Dame, Indiana, July 2, 1887, Vol. XXV, No. 1, page 564). Most of these have since been removed.
    • The silver cloth was embroidered with fine pearls.
    • A large diamond caps the cross on top. (Davenport Morning Tribune, Dec. 29, 1887)
    • Made by the house of François Désiré Froment-Meurice.
    • Described as weighing six pounds, topped with a globe of diamonds three inches in circumference, and a cross of gold set with large diamonds. (Daily Nevada State Journal, Feb. 9, 1888)
    • Valued at $250,000 in 1903. (Trenton Times, July 9, 1903)
    • Displayed in Utrecht, Netherlands, September 11, 2003, through January 4, 2004, in the Pracht en praal van de Paus exhibit in Museum Catharijneconvent.
    • Illustration of the tiara at NYPL Digital Gallery (enter 498565 in the search box).
    • Tiara photo and illustration of Leo XIII wearing the tiara.
    • lllustration of Pius X wearing the tiara.
19. Tiara of Leo XIII (1894)
    • Gift of Emperor Franz-Joseph of Austria-Hungary
    • Worn by the pope Sunday, February 18, 1894, after the last Mass of his Jubilee year (15th of his pontificate). (Manitoba Morning Free Press, Winnipeg, Feb. 20, 1894)
20. Tiara of Leo XIII (1902)
    • A Jubilee gift of the Catholics of England, this gold tiara had a reported value of 40,000 pounds (Davenport Dailey Republican, Feb. 23, 1902).
    • Presented to the Pope by Cardinal Respighi, Vicar General, on March 3, 1902 (Daily Iowa State Press, March 3, 1902). But on this date, Leo XIII celebrated his 24th jubilee by wearing an older tiara of Pius IX that "glittered with many jewels, the top being crowned with an orb of lapis-lazuli [blue stone] and a golden cross." (Life of Leo XIII, by Rev. Bernard O'Reilly, John C. Winston Co., 1903, page 712.) Just the top of this tiara can be seen in the lower left corner of the photo on this page.
    • The new tiara was described as having a royal crown of fleur de lys on the bottom, a princely or ducal crown (acanthus leaves) in the middle, and a count's coronet (rays topped by pearls) on top (Washington Post, Feb. 25, 1911).
    • Reportedly it would be worn by the Pope on that Easter Sunday, March 30th. (Daily Northwestern, Oshkosh, March 1, 1902).
    • Papal medal from 1902 that apparently shows this tiara.
21. Tiara of Leo XIII (1903) (Photo below)
    • Presented to the pope on February 20, 1903, by Cardinal Respighi, vicar of Rome, on behalf of the Catholics of Bologna to celebrate the silver jubilee of his pontificate. The elaborate all metal silver and golden triple tiara was valued at $25,000. First worn by the Pope on March 3rd, 1903, the 25th anniversary of his coronation.
    • Papal medal showing this crown.
    • Upper crown inscribed - REGIS CHRISTI PASTORVM PASTOR OVILIS OMNE. Apparently means "King Christ's chief shepherd of all the sheepfold".
    • Middle crown inscribed - NESCIVS ERRANDI FIDEI MORVMQVE MAGISTER which means "Inerrant teacher of faith and morals".
    • Lower crown inscribed - SACERDOS MAXIMVS IN TERRIS DIVINO IVRE which means "High priest on earth by divine law".
    • Above the lower crown are six medallions, four are portraits of Pius IX, Leo XIII, St. Peter, and an angel.
    • Above the middle crown are two medallions.
    • At the time of his death Leo XIII was reported, in newspapers of the day, to have 30 jewel-encrusted tiaras and over 100 rings in his collection. (The Life of Pope Leo XIII, by James Martin Miller, G. H. Harr (1908), pg. 491.)
    • Displayed in St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes museum exhibit.
    • Photo and history on page 309 of St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes, by Allen Dunston, O.P., and Roberto Zagnoli, ISBN 0-88397-140-2 (paperback catalogue).
22. Tiara of Pius X (1908)
    • Made by the papal jeweler Tantani to be presented to the pope in November of 1908 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his priesthood (Sept 18, 1858).
    • This new lighter tiara was commissioned by the pope because the 1903 jubilee tiara of his predecessor Leo XIII, which he wore only once, was too heavy for him. (Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, May 24, 1908.)
23. Tiara of Pius XI (1922)
    • Gift of the people of Milan.
    • Bullet-shaped with pointed top.
    • Single band of pearls on top crown.
    • Fleur-des-lis on the crowns alternate with green gems.
    • Worn by Pope John XXIII
    • Displayed in the Museum of Applied Art in Vilnius, Lithuania, September 2003, commemorating the 10th anniversary of Pope John Paul's II visit to Lithuania.
    • On display from December 7, 2006 thru April 9, 2007 in the Habemus Papam exhibit at the Lateran Palace, Rome.
    • A photo is below.
24. Tiara of Pius XI (1922)
    • Presented to the pope on December 15, 1922 by Cardinal Tosi, Archbishop of Milan, on behalf of the Milan archdiocese.
    • Valued at 2,000,000 Lire at the time.
    • Said to be encrusted with 2,000 precious stones, but weighs only 2 pounds.
    • Photo from the Palatine Enterprise, Palatine Illinois, Dec. 29, 1922.
    • Postcard from 1929 (50th anniversary of his priesthood) showing Pius XI wearing this tiara.
25. Tiara of John XXIII (1959)
    • Presented to the pope in the Clementine hall of the Vatican on May 2, 1959, by the people of Bergamo, the region of northern Italy where pope John XXIII was born.
    • Valued at the time at $5,000 and weighing just over two pounds, it has 20 diamonds, 16 emeralds, 68 rubies and 70 pearls.
    • The presentation had been delayed because the Pope specially requested that the number of gems be reduced by half, and the savings in cost be given to charity.
    • See photos above and below.
26. Tiara of Paul VI (1963)
    • Made for the pope by the artisans of Milan, his former Archdiocese.
    • Rather plain, futuristic rocket or bullet-shaped.
    • Weighs 10 pounds, and was valued at $10,000 at the time.
    • Given up by the pope on November 13, 1964, during the ecumenical council.
    • Displayed in the Vatican's pavilion at the 1964-65 World's Fair in New York city.
    • On permanent display in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington D. C. (see above for picture)
27. Tiara of John Paul II (1981)
    • Presented by the people of Hungary in 1981.
    • JPII never publicly wore this or any other tiara.
    • Photo

Detail from a photo on page 44 of St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes,
by Allen Dunston, O.P., and Roberto Zagnoli, ISBN 0-88397-140-2 (paperback catalogue).

Seven triple tiaras in the display case of the Papal Sacristy of the Sistine Chapel (room of the Copricapi). From left to right they are:

• 1922 tiara of Pius XI.
• 1903 tiara of Leo XIII.
• 1887 neo-gothic tiara of Leo XIII.
• 1871 tiara of Pius IX.
• 1834 tiara of Gregory XVI.
• 1805 tiara of Pius VII.
• 1820 cloth tiara of Pius VII.

THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM

Did you notice the two keys in the Vatican's coat of arms? Those represent the keys to the kingdom, the assumed authority to bind and loose claimed by the Papacy from the book of Matthew-

Mat 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Let's look at this passage in detail-

Verse 15 - Jesus asks the disciples who they think he is.

Verse 16 - Simon Peter (Cephas) answers that he knows Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah, the very Son of the Living God. This is the very foundation of the Gospel message. Jesus is the Messiah.

Verse 17 - Jesus responds that the ONLY reason that Peter knows this is because it has been revealed to him by none other than God the Father.

Verse 18 - Continuing, Jesus remarks to Peter that upon the rock of His true identity, Jesus as the Son of God, Jesus the long awaited Messiah, Jesus the salvation of all mankind, Jesus the one mediator for mankind, upon this foundation stone of fact the church of faithful believers will surely overcome sin and death (hell). That is, after all, the promise of John 3:16 isn't it? The Catholic Church appeals to this same verse to say that Peter is the foundation of the Church, and that his Papal office is declared here. This is a substitution of the Papacy in place of the Gospel message, yet again.

Verse 19 - The Papacy presumes that in this verse Jesus bestowed on Peter the absolute right and authority to govern the church as he (Peter) deemed appropriate, and that God would back him up, and his successors, in all they do in His name with that authority. But there is another interpretation that is not nearly so generous in it's scope-

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall (first) be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall (first) be loosed in heaven.

I believe this verse applies to all Christians, not just Peter. The word of God is the limiting factor in our authority. We only have authority to declare to the world what God's word reveals to us in His scriptures. As an example, the Christian can declare adultery to be a sin, condemned by God, but only because God himself declares this in His scriptures. But, beyond the clear written word of God, though, the Christian has no right to go. That is entirely different from the Catholic interpretation of absolute God-like unerring power presumed by the Papacy.

Luke 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

So, to make it clear, just what is (are) the key(s) to the kingdom? Well, how will any mortal human being enter into the kingdom? By faith. Faith in what? Faith in Jesus Christ, the Rock of our Salvation. Peter had the Gospel message revealed to him by God the Father, the very keys to the kingdom to all who believe. Peter's charge was to "feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17); proclaim what the Father had made known to him, that Jesus was the Messiah, and that He (Jesus) is the only way to overcome sin. It is a duty and responsibility levied on all who know the Gospel message. And how do we know the true Gospel message today? The Bible reveals it to us through Scripture via the Holy Spirit. The two keys to the kingdom are the Old and New Testaments of Scripture!

So to wrap up Matt 16, I have just shown you a rational and valid interpretation that completely negates the Catholic claim of infallible vested Papal authority and the Petrine theory of Apostolic succession. They are pure invention, a fabrication not even dreamed of until a couple of hundred years after the time of Christ, when the church was trying to establish the authority of the Bishop of Rome over the Church. In the place of the Gospel message, the Catholic Church claims a blanket infallible Papal authority to proclaim Tradition. Again a substitution of the Papacy for the Gospel message. That process is called AntiChrist.

It is worth noting that the book of Mark relates the same conversation Jesus had with the disciples beginning in chapter 8, verse 27, and Mark curiously overlooks Peter's alleged investiture as Pope. Why? Surely if Mark knew Peter to be the visible head of the church, this is a remarkable and inexcusable omission on his part. So, because of the omission, it is apparent that Mark knew nothing of Peter's alleged supreme authority over the church.

Roman Emperor Decrees the Primacy and Authority of the Bishop of Rome

[POPE] DAMASUS, 366-384.

6. In his episcopate, Valentinian I enacted a law making the bishop of Rome the judge of other bishops. A council in Rome, A. D. 378, enlarged his powers of judging, and petitioned the emperor Gratian to exempt the bishop of Rome from all civil jurisdiction except that of the emperor alone; to order that he be judged by none except a council, or the emperor direct; and that the imperial power should be exerted to compel obedience to the judgment of the bishop of Rome concerning other bishops. Gratian granted part of their request and it was made to count for all.

Source: Ecclesiastical Empire, by A. T. Jones, Review and Herald Publishing Co., Battle Creek, Michigan, 1901, pg. 157.

The development of the papal power can only be briefly summarized here. The first great step took place under [Pope] Damasus (366-384) who obtained from the Emperor Valentinian I the right of all bishops in the western part of the empire who were condemned by their provincial synod to appeal to the Bishop of Rome.

Source: THE CHRISTIAN FAITH: AN INTRODUCTION TO DOGMATIC THEOLOGY, by Claude Beaufort  Moss, D.D., London S.P.C.K, 1965, Holy Trinity Church, Marylbone Road London, NW 1, Printed in Great Britain by Richard Clay (The Chaucer Press) Ltd  Bungay Suffolk, first printing 1943, Part II, Chapter 49,  III. The Papacy a Development from the Order of Bishops,  1. Origin and Development of the Papacy.

Pope Leo I (440 - 461 A.D.) Asserts Bishop of Rome's Authority

The Lord . . . wanted His gifts to flow into the entire body from Peter himself, as if from the head, in such a way that anyone who had dared to separate himself from the solidarity of Peter would realize that he was himself no longer a sharer in the divine mystery . . . The Apostolic See . . . has on countless occasions been reported in consultation by bishops . . . And through the appeal of various cases to this see, decisions already made have been either revoked or confirmed, as dictated by longstanding custom.

Source: Pope Leo I, Letter to the Bishops of Vienne, July, 445 A.D., 10:1-2; in The Faith of the Early Fathers (FEF), 3 volumes, edited and translated by William A Jurgens, Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1970, 1st edition, volume 3, p. 269.

Although bishops have a common dignity, they are not all of the same rank. Even among the most blessed Apostles, though they were alike in honor, there was a certain distinction of power. All were equal in being chosen, but it was given to one to be preeminent over the others . . . the care of the universal Church would converge in the one See of Peter, and nothing should ever be at odds with this head.

Source: Pope Leo I, Letter to Bishop Anastasius of Thessalonica, c.446 A.D., 14:11; in Jurgens, FEF, volume 3, p. 270.

From the whole world only one, Peter, is chosen to preside over the calling of all nations, and over all the other Apostles, and over the Fathers of the Church . . . Peter . . . rules them all, of whom, too, it is Christ who is their chief ruler. Divine condescension, dearly beloved, has granted to this man in a wonderful and marvelous manner the aggregate of its power; and if there was something that it wanted to be his in common with other leaders, it never gave whatever it did not deny to others except through him.

Source: Pope Leo I, Sermons, 4:2; in Jurgens, FEF, volume 3, p. 275.

Pope Gregory the Great (590–604 A.D)
"Universal Pontiff" a profane title

For, as your venerable Holiness knows, this name of Universality was offered by the holy synod of Chalcedon to the pontiff of the Apostolic See which by the providence of God I serve(2). But no one of my predecessors has ever consented to use this so profane a title; since, forsooth, if one Patriarch is called Universal, the name of Patriarch in the case of the rest is derogated. But far be this, far be it from the mind of a Christian, that any one should wish to seize for himself that whereby he might seem in the least degree to lessen the honour of his brethren. While, then, we are unwilling to receive this honour when offered to us, think how disgraceful it is for any one to have wished to usurp it to himself perforce.

Wherefore let not your Holiness in your epistles ever call any one Universal, lest you detract from the honour due to yourself in offering to another what is not due.

Source: BOOK V, EPISTLE XLIII: TO EULOGIUS AND ANASTASIUS, BISHOPS from Pope Gregory the Great, online at EWTN. (You will need to scroll down to find the document)

Pope Gregory the Great renounces the title "Universal Pope".

Your Blessedness has also been careful to declare that you do not now make use of proud titles, which have sprung from a root of vanity, in writing to certain persons, and you address me saying, As you have commanded. This word, command, I beg you to remove from my hearing, since I know who I am, and who you are. For in position you are my brethren, in character my fathers. I did not, then, command, but was desirous of indicating what seemed to be profitable. Yet I do not find that your Blessedness has been willing to remember perfectly this very thing that I brought to your recollection. For I said that neither to me nor to any one else ought you to write anything of the kind; and lo, in the preface of the epistle which you have addressed to myself who forbade it, you have thought fit to make use of a proud appellation, calling me Universal Pope. But I beg your most sweet Holiness to do this no more, since what is given to another beyond what reason demands is subtracted from yourself. For as for me, I do not seek to be prospered by words but by my conduct. Nor do I regard that as an honour whereby I know that my brethren lose their honour. For my honour is the honour of the universal Church: my honour is the solid vigour of my brethren. Then am I truly honoured when the honour due to all and each is not denied them. For if your Holiness calls me Universal Pope, you deny that you are yourself what you call me universally. But far be this from us. Away with words that inflate vanity and wound charity.

And, indeed, in the synod of Chalcedon and afterwards by subsequent Fathers, your Holiness knows that this was offered to my predecessors(1). And yet not one of them would ever use this title, that, while regarding the honour of all priests in this world, they might keep their own before Almighty God.

Source: BOOK VIII, EPISTLE XXX: TO EULOGIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA online at EWTN. (You will need to scroll down to find the document)

Pope Gregory the Great criticizes use of the title "Universal Bishop"
and denies Peter was a "Universal Apostle".

For to all who know the Gospel it is apparent that by the Lord's voice the care of the whole Church was committed to the holy Apostle and Prince of all the Apostles, Peter. For to him it is said, Peter, lovest thou Me? Feed My sheep (John xxi. 17). To him it is said, Behold Satan hath desired to sift you as wheat; and I have prayed for thee, Peter, that they faith fail not. And thou, when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren (Luke xxii. 31). To him it is said, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind an earth shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven (Matth. xvi. 18).

Lo, he received the keys of the heavenly kingdom, and power to bind and loose is given him, the care and principality of the whole Church is committed to him, and yet he is not called the universal apostle; while the most holy man, my fellow-priest John, attempts to be called universal bishop. I am compelled to cry out and say, O tempora, O mores!

Source: BOOK V, EPISTLE XX: TO MAURICIUS AUGUSTUS from Pope Gregory the Great (590–604), online at EWTN. (You will need to scroll down to find the document)

Pope Gregory the Great calls the title Universal "pestiferous".

... Be it known then to your Fraternity that John, formerly bishop of the city of Constantinople, against God, against the peace of the Church, to the contempt and injury of all priests, exceeded the bounds of modesty and of his own measure, and unlawfully usurped in synod the proud and pestiferous title of oecumenical, that is to say, universal. ...

... I exhort and entreat that not one of you ever accept this name, that not one consent to it, that not one write it, that not one admit it wherever it may have been written, or add his subscription to it; but, as becomes ministers of Almighty God, that each keep himself from this kind of poisoned infection, and give no place to the cunning lier-in-wait, since this thing is being done to the injury and rendering asunder of the whole Church, and, as we have said, to the condemning of all of you. For if one, as he supposes, is universal bishop, it remains that you are not bishops. ...

Source: BOOK IX, EPISTLE LXVIII TO EUSEBIUS OF THESSALONICA from Pope Gregory the Great (590–604), online at New Advent. (You will need to scroll down to find the document)

Pope Gregory the Great declares title "Universal Priest" to be Antichrist.

Whosoever calls himself, or desires to be called, Universal Priest, is in his elation the precursor of Antichrist, because he proudly puts himself above all others. Nor is it by dissimilar pride that he is led into error; for, as that perverse one wishes to appear as God above all men, so whosoever this one is who covets being called sole priest, he extols himself above all other priests. Source: Pope Gregory the Great (590–604), Letter to Emperor Mauricius Augustus (against assumption of title “universal” by Patriarch of Constantinople) in his Epistles, bk. 7, letter 33, trans. in NPNF, 2d series, Vol. 12, p. 226 (2d pagination). Here is the above BOOK VII, EPISTLE XXXIII: TO MAURICIUS AUGUSTUS online at EWTN. (You will need to scroll down to find the document)

Tiara given to Pius IX by Queen Isabella II of Spain (1854) Set with diamonds, pearls, emeralds, rubies and sapphires.

So Pope Gregory the Great condemned the titles of Universal Patriarch, Universal Pope, Universal Bishop and Universal Priest. He saw that such pomposity was satanic or antichrist in nature. In any case, Pope Boniface III (607 A.D.), a mere three years after the death of Gregory, petitioned Emperor Phocus to declare the Roman See the head of all Christian churches and that the title Universal Bishop would apply exclusively to the Bishop of Rome. This was done in an attempt to end the ambitions of the Patriarch of Constantinople.

See Boniface III online at New Advent.

Emperor Phocus granted the request, and a grateful Boniface III erected a gilded statue of him in Rome proclaiming his greatness.

Donation of Constantine to the "Universal Pope" of Rome.

... Our most gracious serenity desires, in clear discourse, through the page of this our imperial decree, to bring to the knowledge of all the people in the whole world what things our Saviour and Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the most High Father, has most wonderfully seen fit to bring about through his holy apostles Peter and Paul and by the intervention of our father Sylvester, the highest pontiff and the universal pope. First, indeed, putting forth, with the inmost confession of our heart, for the purpose of instructing the mind of all of you, our creed which we have learned from the aforesaid most blessed father and our confessor, Sylvester the universal pontiff; and then at length announcing the mercy of God which has been poured upon us. ...

For let all the people and the nations of the races in the whole world rejoice with us; we exhorting all of you to give unbounded thanks, together with us, to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For He is God in Heaven above and on earth below, who, visiting us through His holy apostles, made us worthy to receive the holy sacrament of baptism and health of body. In return for which, to those same holy apostles, my masters, St. Peter and St. Paul; and, through them, also to St. Sylvester, our father, -the chief pontiff and universal pope of the city of Rome, -and to all the pontiffs his successors, who until the end of the world shall be about to sit in the seat of St. Peter: we concede and, by this present, do confer, our imperial Lateran palace, which is preferred to, and ranks above, all the palaces in the whole world; then a diadem, that is, the crown of our head, and at the same time the tiara; and, also, the shoulder band, -that is, the collar that usually surrounds our imperial neck; and also the purple mantle, and crimson tunic, and all the imperial raiment; and the same rank as those presiding over the imperial cavalry; conferring also the imperial sceptres, and, at the same time, the spears and standards; also the banners and different imperial ornaments, and all the advantage of our high imperial position, and the glory of our power.

Donation of Constantine online.

Though proved a forgery in the 15th century, the use of the phrase "universal pope" in the Donation of Constantine shows the title was attributed to the Bishop of Rome in the 8th century. For centuries, the Donation of Constantine was held to be genuine by the Catholic Church.

Now note that Pope Gregory VII also declared himself to be "Universal Pope", a title which Gregory the Great refused and condemned. This papal claim has been maintained or embellished on by every subsequent pope, eventually leading to the declaration of papal infallibility.

THE DICTATES OF HILDERBRAND (POPE GREGORY VII)

1. That the Roman Church was founded by the Lord alone. 2. That the Roman Pontiff alone is justly called universal. 3. That he alone can depose bishops or restore them … 9. That all princes should kiss the feet of the pope alone… 12. That it is lawful for him to depose emperors … 18. That his sentence ought not to be reviewed by any one; and he alone can review [the decisions] of all. 19. That he ought to be judged by no one … 22. That the Roman Church never erred; nor will it, according to Scripture, ever err … 27. That he can absolve subjects from their allegiance to unrighteous [rulers].

John XXIII Pontifex Maximus wearing the tiara of Pope Pius XI. Attualità Giordani, Rome Click on image for an enlargement

Source: Gregory VII (1073-1085 A.D.), Dictatus Papae (“Dictates of the Pope”; sometimes called the Dictates of Hilderbrand), Latin text in Karl Hofmann, Der Dictatus Papae Gregors VII (Paderborn [Germany]: Ferdinand Schöningh, 1933), p. 11.

Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) Claims Divine Authority

Pope Innocent III claimed that only the Roman Pontiff had the power to transfer and separate bishops, because when he separates, it is not a man that separates, but God that separates, because he acts "not only as a man, but as the true God's vice governor on earth" [non puri hominis, sed veri Dei vicem gerit in terris], ... he "dissolves not with human, but with divine authority" [non humana, sed divina potius auctoritate dissolvit.]:

Non enim homo, sed Deus separat, quos Romanus Pontifex, qui non puri hominis, sed veri Dei vicem gerit in terris, ecclesiarum necessitate vel utilitate pensata, non humana, sed divina potius auctoritate dissolvit.

Source: Decretalium Gregorii papae IX, liber 1, titulus VII - de translatione Episcopi, cap. III, Corpus Iuris Canonici, Pars Secunda: Decretalium Collectiones, Decretales Gregorii p. IX, ed. Emil Ludwig Richter und Emil Friedberg, Leipzig 1881.

An excellent searchable version of Gregorius IX Decretalium compilatio with concordance.

Pope Innocent III Claims Authority Over Kings

Just as the founder of the universe established two great lights in the firmament of heaven, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, so too He set two great dignities in the firmament of the universal church..., the greater one to rule the day, that is, souls, and the lesser to rule the night, that is, bodies. These dignities are the papal authority and the royal power. Now just as the moon derives its light from the sun and is indeed lower than it in quantity and quality, in position and in power, so too the royal power derives the splendor of its dignity from the pontifical authority.... — Letter to the prefect Acerbius and the nobles of Tuscany, 1198.

Pope Innocent IV (1243-1254)

Every cleric must obey the Pope, even if he commands what is wrong, for no one can judge him. The only exception was if the command involved heresy or tended to the destruction of the church. — Pope Innocent IV, Comment. in Decretal. Francof. 1570, 555. [Apparatus in quinque libros decretalium, commentary on the Decretals of Gregory IX]

Source: The Pope and the Council, by Janus [with the collaboration of J.N. Huber and J. Friedrich], translated from the German by Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger, Johannes Nepomuk Huber, Third Edition Revised, Rivingtons, London, Oxford, and Cambridge, 1870, page 161.

First Council of Lyons - 1245 A.D.
Bull of Pope Innocent IV Deposing Emperor Frederick II

... We [Pope Innocent IV] therefore, after careful discussion with our brother cardinals and the sacred council [Lyons, 1245 A.D.] on his [Emperor Frederick II] wicked transgressions already mentioned and many more besides, since though unworthy we hold on earth the place of Jesus Christ, and to us in the person of the blessed apostle Peter has been said, whatever you bind on earth etc., denounce the said prince, who has made himself so unworthy of the empire and kingdoms and every honour and dignity and who also, because of his crimes, has been cast out by God from kingdom and empire; we mark him out as bound by his sins, an outcast and deprived by our Lord of every honour and dignity; and we deprive him of them by our sentence. We absolve from their oath for ever all those who are bound to him by an oath of loyalty, firmly forbidding by our apostolic authority anyone in the future to obey or heed him as emperor or king, and decreeing that anyone who henceforth offers advice, help or favour to him as to an emperor or king, automatically incurs excommunication. Let those whose task it is to choose an emperor in the same empire, freely choose a successor to him. With regard to the aforesaid kingdom of Sicily, we shall take care to provide, with the counsel of our brother cardinals, as we see to be expedient.

Given at Lyons on 17 July in the third year of our pontificate [1245 A.D.].

Source: Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, Tanner, Norman P., ed., New York: Sheed and Ward, ISBN: 072203010X, 1990.

Claims of “I Am Caesar” (Boniface VIII)

The papal theory made the Pope alone God’s representative on earth and maintained that the Emperor received his right to rule from St. Peter’s successor. For historical proof of the genuineness of this position attention was called to the power of the keys, the Donation of Constantine, the coronation of Pepin, the restoration of the Empire in the West. … It was upheld by Nicholas I., Hildebrand, Alexander III., Innocent III., and culminated with Boniface VIII. at the jubilee of 1300 when, seated on the throne of Constantine, girded with the imperial sword, wearing a crown, and waving a sceptre, he shouted to the throng of loyal pilgrims: “I am Caesar—I am Emperor.”

Pius XII wearing the 1877 tiara of Pius IX Wide World Photos, Inc.

Source: Alexander Clarence Flick, The Rise of the Mediaeval Church, copyright 1909, published in New York: by Burt Franklin, 514 West 113th Street, p. 413.

Obedience to the Pope declared necessary for Salvation

We, moreover, proclaim, declare and pronounce that it is altogether necessary to salvation for every human being to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.

Source: Pope Boniface VIII, Bull Unam Sanctam, promulgated November 18, 1302, in Translations and Reprints From the Original Sources of European History, Vol. 3 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 189–), No. 6, pp. 20–23 (from Latin text of Mury, Revue des Questions Historiques, Vol. 46, pp. 225, 256, based on the facsimile from the Papal Regesta).

Liberally minded Catholic apologists will sometimes suggest that Boniface VIII meant to apply his remark only to Catholics, and that Protestants are not automatically excluded from salvation by it. However the Latin text (in David S. Schaff, The Middle Ages [Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 5. New York: Scribner, 1910], part 2, p. 28) reads omni humanae creaturae (“every human creature"). The title of the bull, Unam Sanctam (One Holy Church) and its last sentence make clear that Boniface VIII was declaring that submission to the Pope of the Holy See of Rome of the Catholic Church was the only means of salvation and that those resisting that presumed authority were lost souls. Conservative traditional Catholics will staunchly defend the statement that "Outside the Catholic Church there is no Salvation", and will cite Unam Sanctam as proof positive.

Here is the full text of UNAM SANCTAM online.

Pope Claims Primacy Over the World.

We likewise define that the holy Apostolic See, and the Roman Pontiff, hold the primacy throughout the entire world; and that the Roman Pontiff himself is the successor of blessed Peter, the chief of the Apostles, and the true vicar of Christ, and that he is the head of the entire Church, and the father and teacher of all Christians; and that full power was given to him in blessed Peter by Our Lord Jesus Christ, to feed, rule, and govern the universal Church; just as is contained in the acts of the ecumenical Councils and in the sacred canons."

Source: Pope Eugene IV, Papal Bull Laetentur Coeli, dated July 6th, 1439, Denzinger, The Sources of Catholic Dogma, Translated by Roy J. Deferrari, from the Thirtieth Edition of Henry Denzinger's Enchiridion Symbolorum, published by B. Herder Book Co., Copyright 1957, page 220, #694.
See also Council of Basle, Ferara, and Florence, Session 6, 6 July 1439.

Papacy Claims Authority Over the Kings of the Earth

On the above papal medal (Mazio 13, Spink 342) issued by Pope Callistus III (1455-58), the reverse side reads OMNES REGES SERVIENT EI, a quote of Daniel 7:27 from the Latin Vulgate, which when translated in the Catholic Douay Rheims reads "ALL KINGS SHALL SERVE HIM". The scripture refers to God, but the papal triple-tiered tiara portrayed above the cross clearly symbolizes papal authority, that the papacy is God's designated representative, having authority even over the kings of the earth, just as the above excerpts show.

Martin Luther on Papal Infallibility

[p. 69] They assume authority, and juggle before us with impudent words, saying that the Pope cannot err in matters of faith, whether he be evil or good, albeit they cannot prove it by a single letter… We will quote the Scriptures. St. Paul says, “If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace” (1 Cor. 14:30). What would be the use of this commandment, if we were to believe him alone that teaches or has the highest seat? Christ Himself says, “And they shall be all taught of God” (John 6:45). Thus it may come to pass that the Pope and his followers are wicked and not true Christians, and not being taught by God, have no true understanding, whereas a common man may have true understanding. Why should we then not follow him? Has not the Pope often erred? … Therefore it is a wickedly devised fable—and they cannot quote a single letter to confirm it—that it is for the Pope alone to interpret [p. 70] the Scriptures or to confirm the interpretation of them. They have assumed the authority of their own selves. And though they say that this authority was given to St. Peter when the keys were given to him, it is plain enough that the keys were not given to St. Peter alone, but to the whole community.

Source: Luthers Werke (Erlangen, 1828–1870), trans. and ed. by H. Wace and C. A. Buckheim in First Principles of the Reformation (Philadelphia, 1885), pp. 159–239, passim. Reprinted in Louis L. Snyder, ed., Documents of German History (New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1958), pp. 69, 70. Copyright © 1958 by Rutgers, The State University.

Martin Luther also wrote-

"I now know for certain that the papacy is the kingdom of Babylon and the power of Nimrod, the mighty hunter (Gen. 10:8-9)."

Source: Martin Luther's The Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520), in Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings, edited by Timothy F. Lull, published by Fortress Press, © 1989, ISBN 0-8006-2327-4, page 268.

Papal Infallibility Denied as Catholic Dogma Before 1870

   Q. Must not Catholics believe the Pope in himself to be infallible?
   A. This is a Protestant invention; it is no article of the Catholic faith; no decision of his can oblige, under pain of heresy, unless it be received and enforced by the teaching body, that is, by the Bishops of the Church.

Sources: A Doctrinal Catechism, by the Rev. Stephen Keenan, approved by the Most Rev. John Hughes, D.D., Archbishop of New York, Second American Edition, published in New York by E. Dunigan & Brother, (James B. Kirker), No. 371 Broadway, Copyright 1848, pages 305-306.
Controversial Catechism or Protestantism Refuted, by the Rev. Stephen Keenan, Second Edition, published in 1851 in Edinburgh; by C. Dolman, 13 South Hanover Street, and 61, New Bond Street, London, page 102. The original First Edition was published in Edinburgh in 1846.

   Q. Do you here suppose the teachers individually infallible, or that they are free personally from all sin and error?
   A. By no means; philosophically speaking, if all the bishops of the Church, scattered over all the nations of the earth, all men of learning and probity, who have never seen one another,—who have had no means of combining to teach any particular doctrine,—and who have had no motive for such, do actually teach the very same truths, then we maintain, by all laws of human evidence or moral certainty, that their combined testimony to the existence of any doctrine infallibly proves its truth.

Source: A Doctrinal Catechism, by the Rev. Stephen Keenan, approved by the Most Rev. John Hughes, D.D., Archbishop of New York, Second American Edition, published in New York by E. Dunigan & Brother, (James B. Kirker), No. 371 Broadway, Copyright 1848, page 369. (The identical text appears on pages 67-68 of the 1851 Edinburgh Second Edition, and also on page 77 of the 1896 London revised New Edition.)

Pope Pius IX photographed standing beside a jewel-encrusted triple tiara.

“In Christ’s right I am a sovereign. I acknowledge no civil superior; I am the subject of no Prince, and I claim more than this – I claim to be the supreme judge on earth, the director of the consciences of men; of the peasant that tills the field and the Prince that sits on the throne; of the household that sits in the shade of privacy and the legislature that makes laws for the Kingdom. I am the last sole supreme judge on earth of what is right and wrong.” ― Henry Edward Manning, speaking for Pope Pius IX in a sermon in the pro-cathedral, St Mary Moorfields, Kensington (the church of his episcopal ordination and consecration as archbishop), reported in The Tablet (a Catholic weekly published in London), Sunday, Oct 9, 1864.

Recognition of Papal jurisdiction declared necessary for Salvation

1827 Furthermore We teach and declare that the Roman Church, by the disposition of the Lord, holds the sovereignty of ordinary power over all others, and that this power of jurisdiction on the part of the Roman Pontiff, which is truly episcopal, is immediate; and with respect to this the pastors and the faithful of whatever right and dignity, both as separate individuals and all together, are bound by the duty of hierarchical subordination and true obedience, not only in things which pertain to faith and morals, but also in those which pertain to the discipline and government of the Church [which is] spread over the whole world, so that the Church of Christ, protected not only by the Roman Pontiff, but by the unity of communion as well as of the profession of the same faith is one flock under one highest shepherd. This is the doctrine of Catholic truth from which no one can deviate and keep his faith and salvation.

Source: Dogmatic Constitution I on the Church of Christ [Vatican I - Pius IX], Session IV, July 18th 1870, Chapter 3., The Power and Manner of the Primacy of the Roman Pontiff, Denzinger, The Sources of Catholic Dogma, Translated by Roy J. Deferrari, from the Thirtieth Edition of Henry Denzinger's Enchiridion Symbolorum, published by B. Herder Book Co., Copyright 1957, page 454, #1827.

Papal Claim of Infallibility Declared Dogmatically.

Pius IX Pontifex Maximus

Therefore faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian faith, for the glory of God our Saviour, the exaltation of the Catholic religion, and the salvation of Christian people, the sacred Council approving, we teach and define that it is a dogma divinely revealed: that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when in discharge of the office of pastor and doctor of all Christians, by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine regarding faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, is possessed of that infallibility with which the divine Re- [p. 271] deemer willed that his Church should be endowed for defining doctrine regarding faith or morals; and that therefore such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are irreformable of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church.

But if any one—which may God avert—presume to contradict this our definition: let him be anathema. Given at Rome in public Session solemnly held in the Vatican Basilica in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy, on the eighteenth day of July, in the twenty-fifth year of our Pontificate.

Source: Vatican Council, Session IV (July 18, 1870), First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ (Pastor Aeternus), chap. IV, Concerning the Infallible Teaching of the Roman Pontiff, in Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom (New York: Harper, 1919), Vol. 2, pp. 266–271.

INSCRIBED TIARA OF POPE PIUS IX

Above is a papal tiara presented to Pius IX by Belgium in 1871. Click on the picture of the tiara to view the full sized picture. The complete inscription (including text on the unseen sides) is:

IESV CHRISTI VICARIO INFALLIBILI
ORBIS SVPREMO IN TERRA RECTORI
REGVM ATQVE POPVLORVM PATRI

which translates to:

To The Infallible Vicar of Jesus Christ
To the Supreme Governor of the World on Earth
To the Father of Nations and Kings

See also: Vicar of Christ - Governor on Earth - Father of Princes and of Kings

The above gilt papal medal of Pius IX from 1877 depicts on the reverse the Pope enthroned wearing the triple tiara, with five figures paying homage, and is inscribed with a quote of Joel 2:23 from the Latin Vulgate, which the Douay Rheims translates to:

Joel 2:23 ... be joyful in the Lord your God: because he hath given you a teacher of justice ...

Père Hyacinthe On Infallibility

The following from the lips of Père Hyacinthe, does not sound much like endorsing the dogma of Infallibility: "I protest, against this pretended dogma of the Pope's infallibility, such as it is set forth in the decree of the Council. It is because I am Catholic, and wish so to remain, that I refuse to admit a doctrine unknown to the ancient Church, contested even now by many and eminent theologians—a doctrine which implies no gradual development, but a radical change in the constitution of the Church and in the immutable regulation of its faith. It is because I am a Christian and wish so to remain, that I raise myself with all my soul against these almost divine honors granted to a man who is presented to our faith—I had almost said to our worship—as uniting in his person alike that spirit of domination which the Gospel, of which he is the minister, denies, and that infallibility against which revolts his flesh, tempered in the same clay as our own, Gregory the Great rejected, as a sign of Antichrist, the title of Universal Bishop which was offered him. What would be said of the title 'Pontiff Infallible'?"

Source: Père Hyacinthe (Charles Jean Marie Loyson), liberal French priest, 1827-1912, as reported in the August 24, 1870, edition of the Elyria Independent Democrat (Ohio), page 2.

Significance of Papal Infallibility Dogma

[p. 164] The dogma of Papal Infallibility … involves a question of absolute power… [p. 165] It is the direct antipode of the Protestant principle of the absolute supremacy and infallibility of the Holy Scriptures. It establishes a perpetual divine oracle in the Vatican. Every Catholic may hereafter say, I believe—not because Christ, or the Bible, or the Church, but—because the infallible Pope has so declared and commanded… If the dogma is false, it involves a blasphemous assumption, and makes the nearest approach to the fulfillment of St. Paul’s prophecy of the man of sin, who ‘as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself off that he is God’ (2 Thess. ii. 4)

Source: Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom (4th ed., rev.; New York: Harper, 1919), Vol. 1, pp. 164, 165.

Keenan's Catechism Changes It's Tune

Subsequent to Vatican I and the declaration of papal Infallibility, Keenan's Catechism, third American Edition, was revised:

   Q. Do you here suppose the teachers individually infallible?
   A. The Pope as the constant head of the Church we hold infallible in decisions ex cathedra: but not exempt from falling into personal sin. The various bishops are neither individually infallible or sinless. But we may argue that if the Pope and the various bishop teach any particular doctrine,—men who have had no motive for such, do actually teach the very same truths, then we maintain, by all laws of human evidence or moral certainty, that their combined testimony to the existence of any doctrine infallibly proves its truth.

Source: A Doctrinal Catechism, by the Rev. Stephen Keenan, Imprimatur by John Cardinal McCloskey, Archbishop of New York, Third American Edition, Copyright 1876 by T. W. Strong, published in New York by P. J. Kenedy, Excelsior Catholic Publishing House, page 369.
A Doctrinal Catechism, (complete text of 1876 Third American edition) online.  See also pages 170-171 on papal infallibility.

In the 1896 London revised New Edition, Keenan's Catechism gave the following explanation:

    Q. But some Catholics before the Vatican Council denied the Infallibility of the Pope, which was also formerly impugned in this very Catechism: (Controversial Catechism, Edition Edinburgh, 1846, p. 117).
    A. Yes; but they did so under the usual reservation—"in so far as they then could grasp the mind of the Church, and subject to her future definitions"—thus implicitly accepting the dogma; had they been prepared to maintain their own opinion contumaciously in such case they would have been Catholics only in name.

Source: Controversial Catechism or Protestantism Refuted, by the Rev. Stephen Keenan, New Edition, revised by the Rev. George Cormack, published in 1896 in London by Burns & Oates, Limited - in New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago by Benzinger Brothers, page 112.

Tiara of Pope Leo XIII (1903) displayed in the Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes museum tour. Detail from a photo at Clear Channel Exhibitions © 2003-2004

The Coronation of Pope Leo XIII, March 3rd, 1878. The solemn moment has arrived. The Pope again ascends the throne, while the choir sings the antiphon, Corona aurea super caput ejus. The subdeacon of the Sacred college, Cardinal di Pietro, intones the Pater noster, and afterwards reads the prayer, Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, dignitas Sacerdotii, etc. The Second deacon removes the mitre from the head of the Pontiff, and Cardinal Mertel approaches, bearing the tiara. Placing it on the head of the Pope, he says: Accipe thiaram tribus coronis ornatam, et scias te esse Patrem Principum et Regum, Rectorem Orbis, in terra Vicarium Salvatoris Nostri Jesu Christi, cui est honor et gloria in sæcula sœculorum. [Receive the tiara adorned with three crowns and know that thou art Father of Princes and Kings, Ruler of the World, Vicar of Our Savior Jesus Christ on earth, to him be the honor and glory forever and ever.] Source: Catholic World, Volume 27, Issue 158, May 1878, The Coronation of Pope Leo XIII, page 282.

Color print declaring Leo XIII Lumen Coeli, Latin for the "Light of Heaven".

THE NATION AND KINGDOM THAT WILL NOT SERVE ME WILL PERISH

The above papal medal from the 2nd year of the reign of Pope Leo XIII (1879) is inscribed on the reverse with the Latin phrase GENS ET REGNUM QUOD NON SERVIERIT MIHI PERIBIT, which translates to: THE NATION AND KINGDOM THAT WILL NOT SERVE ME WILL PERISH, (Isaiah 60:12 from the Latin Vulgate). The figure on the reverse is that of the church depicted as a papal tiara crowned queen, sitting on her throne, which calls to mind Revelation 18:7- How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Claims of Obedience to Pope as to God (Leo XIII) 22. ... But the supreme teacher in the Church is the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds, therefore, requires, together with a perfect accord in the one faith, complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff, as to God Himself.
	Leo XIII Pontifex Maximus

Source: Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, Sapientiae Christianae (On the Chief Duties of Christians as Citizens), dated January 10, 1890, trans. in The Great Encyclical Letters of Pop