Fourth Council of the Lateran
Encyclopedia
The Fourth Council of the Lateran was convoked by Pope Innocent III
with the papal bull
of April 19, 1213, and the Council gathered at Rome's Lateran Palace
beginning November 11, 1215. Due to the great length of time between the Council's convocation and meeting, many bishops had the opportunity to attend. It was the 12th ecumenical council
and is sometimes called the "Great Council" or "General Council of Lateran" due to the presence of seventy-one patriarch
s and metropolitan bishop
s, four hundred and twelve bishop
s, and nine hundred abbot
s and prior
s together with representatives of several monarch
s.
and the bitter results of the Fourth Crusade
, which had led to the capture of Constantinople and large parts of the Byzantine Empire. Innocent III wanted to reformulate papal involvement in the Crusades as outlined in his decree "To Free the Holy Land", but only towards the end of his pontificate did he realise this project.
The Pope presented seventy-one decrees; the Council considered these along with the organization of the Fifth Crusade
and with measures against heretics
. Those gathered in Council engaged in little discussion and generally approved the decrees presented by Innocent III.
In secular matters, Raymond VI of Toulouse
, his son (afterwards Raymond VII
), and Raymond-Roger of Foix
attended the Council to dispute the threatened confiscation of their territories; Bishop Foulques
and Guy of Montfort
(brother of Simon) argued in favour of the confiscation.
The Council confirmed the elevation of Frederick II
as Holy Roman Emperor. Pierre-Bermond of Sauve's claim to Toulouse was rejected, and Toulouse
was awarded to Simon de Montfort; the lordship of Melgueil
was separated from Toulouse and entrusted to the bishops of Maguelonne. Provence
, a possession of Raymond VI, was confiscated and kept in trust to be restored to his son if he proved worthy of it.
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
with the papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
of April 19, 1213, and the Council gathered at Rome's Lateran Palace
Lateran Palace
The Lateran Palace , formally the Apostolic Palace of the Lateran , is an ancient palace of the Roman Empire and later the main Papal residence....
beginning November 11, 1215. Due to the great length of time between the Council's convocation and meeting, many bishops had the opportunity to attend. It was the 12th ecumenical council
Ecumenical council
An ecumenical council is a conference of ecclesiastical dignitaries and theological experts convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice....
and is sometimes called the "Great Council" or "General Council of Lateran" due to the presence of seventy-one patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
s and metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
s, four hundred and twelve bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s, and nine hundred abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
s and prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
s together with representatives of several monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
s.
Purposes of the Council
Pope Innocent III had always planned to gather an ecumenical council because of the limited results of the Third CrusadeThird Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
and the bitter results of the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, which had led to the capture of Constantinople and large parts of the Byzantine Empire. Innocent III wanted to reformulate papal involvement in the Crusades as outlined in his decree "To Free the Holy Land", but only towards the end of his pontificate did he realise this project.
The Pope presented seventy-one decrees; the Council considered these along with the organization of the Fifth Crusade
Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade was an attempt to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Ayyubid state in Egypt....
and with measures against heretics
Christian heresy
Christian heresy refers to non-orthodox practices and beliefs that were deemed to be heretical by one or more of the Christian churches. In Western Christianity, the term "heresy" most commonly refers to those beliefs which were declared to be anathema by the Catholic Church prior to the schism of...
. Those gathered in Council engaged in little discussion and generally approved the decrees presented by Innocent III.
In secular matters, Raymond VI of Toulouse
Raymond VI of Toulouse
Raymond VI was count of Toulouse and marquis of Provence from 1194 to 1222. He was also count of Melgueil from 1173 to 1190.-Early life:...
, his son (afterwards Raymond VII
Raymond VII of Toulouse
Raymond VII of Saint-Gilles was Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne and Marquis of Provence from 1222 until his death. He was the son of Raymond VI of Toulouse and Joan of England...
), and Raymond-Roger of Foix
Raimond-Roger of Foix
Raimond Roger was the fifth count of Foix from the House of Foix. He was the son and successor of Roger Bernard I and his wife Cécilia Trencavel....
attended the Council to dispute the threatened confiscation of their territories; Bishop Foulques
Folquet de Marselha
Folquet de Marselha, alternatively Folquet de Marseille, Foulques de Toulouse, Fulk of Toulouse came from a Genoese merchant family who lived in Marseille...
and Guy of Montfort
Guy de Montfort, Lord of Sidon
Guy de Montfort was the younger son of Simon III de Montfort and Amicia, sister of Robert FitzPernel, Earl of Leicester.-Crusade:...
(brother of Simon) argued in favour of the confiscation.
The Council confirmed the elevation of Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
as Holy Roman Emperor. Pierre-Bermond of Sauve's claim to Toulouse was rejected, and Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
was awarded to Simon de Montfort; the lordship of Melgueil
County of Melgueil
The County of Melgueil was a fief of first the Carolingian Emperor, then the King of France, and finally the Papacy during the Middle Ages. Counts probably sat at Melgueil from the time of the Visigoths. The counts of Melgueil were also counts of Maguelonne and Substantion from at least the time...
was separated from Toulouse and entrusted to the bishops of Maguelonne. Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, a possession of Raymond VI, was confiscated and kept in trust to be restored to his son if he proved worthy of it.
Canons
Canons presented to the Council included:- Canon 1: Exposition of the Catholic Faith and of the dogma of Transubstantiation.
- Canon 2: Condemnation of the doctrines of Joachim of Flora and of Amaury.
- Canon 3: Procedure and penalties against heretics and their protectors.
- Canon 4: Exhortation to the Greeks to reunite with the Roman Church and accept its maxims, to the end that, according to the Gospel, there may be only one fold and only one shepherd.
- Canon 5: Proclamation of the papal primacy recognized by all antiquity. After the pope, primacy is attributed to the patriarchs in the following order: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem.
- Canon 6: Provincial councils must be held annually for the reform of morals, especially those of the clergy.
- Canon 8: Procedure in regard to accusations against ecclesiastics. Until the French Revolution, this canon was of considerable importance in criminal law, not only ecclesiastical but even civil.
- Canon 9: Celebration of public worship in places where the inhabitants belong to nations following different rites.
- Canon 11 renews the ordinance of the council of 1179 on free schools for clerics in connexion with every cathedral.
- Canon 12: Abbots and priors are to hold their general chapter every three years.
- Canon 13 forbids the establishment of new religious orders, lest too great diversity bring confusion into the Church.
- Canons 14-17: Against the irregularities of the clergy — e.g., incontinence, drunkenness, attendance at farces and histrionic exhibitions.
- Canon 18: Clerics may neither pronounce nor execute a sentence of death. Nor may they act as judges in extreme criminal cases, or take part in matters connected with judicial tests and ordeals.
- Canon 19: Household goods must not be stored in churches unless there be an urgent necessity. Churches, church vessels, and the like must be kept clean.
- Canon 21, the famous "Omnis utriusque sexus", which commands every Christian who has reached the years of discretion to confess all his, or her, sins at least once a year to his, or her, own (i.e. parish) priest. This canon did no more than confirm earlier legislation and custom, and has been often but wrongly, quoted as commanding for the first time the use of sacramental confession.
- Canon 22: Before prescribing for the sick, physicians shall be bound under pain of exclusion from the Church, to exhort their patients to call in a priest, and thus provide for their spiritual welfare.
- Canons 23-30 regulate ecclesiastical elections and the collation of benefices.
- Canons 26, 44, and 48: Ecclesiastical procedure.
- Canons 50-52: On marriage, impediments of relationship, publication of banns.
- Canons 68, 69: Jews and Moslems shall wear a special dress to enable them to be distinguished from Christians. Christian princes must take measures to prevent blasphemies against Jesus Christ.
External links
- Canons of the Fourth Lateran Council, 1215
- Fourth Lateran Council
- Un document retrouvé by Achille Luchaire, in Journal des savants, n.s. 3 (1905), 557-567, including a list of participants in the Council
- Woods, Marjorie Curry and Rita Copeland. "Classroom and Confession". The Cambridge History of Medieval English Literature, pp. 376–406. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN 9780521890465.