Fourth Lateran Council (1215)
From the commencement of his reign Innocent III had purposed to
assemble an ecumenical council, but only towards the end of his
pontificate could he realize this project, by the Bull of 19
April, 1213. The assembly was to take place in November, 1215. The
council did in fact meet on 11 November, and its sessions were
prolonged until the end of the month. The long interval between
the convocation and the opening of the council as well as the
prestige of the reigning pontiff, were responsible for the very
large number of bishops who attended it, it is commonly cited in
canon law as "the General Council of Lateran", without further
qualification, or again, as "the Great Council". Innocent III
found himself on this occasion surrounded by seventy-one
patriarchs and metropolitans, including the Patriarchs of
Constantinople and of Jerusalem four hundred and twelve bishops,
and nine hundred abbots and priors. The Patriarchs of Antioch and
Alexandria were represented by delegates. Envoys appeared from
Emperor Frederick II, from Henry Latin Emperor of Constantinople,
from the Kings of France, England, Aragon, Hungary, Cyprus, and
Jerusalem, and from other princes. The pope himself opened the
council with an allocution the lofty views of which surpassed the
orator's power of expression. He had desired, said the pope, to
celebrate this Pasch before he died. He declared himself ready to
drink the chalice of the Passion for the defence of the Catholic
Faith, for the succour of the Holy Land, and to establish the
liberty of the Church. After this discourse, followed by moral
exhortation, the pope presented to the council seventy decrees or
canons, already formulated, on the most important points of
dogmatic and moral theology. Dogmas were defined points of
discipline were decided, measures were drawn up against heretics,
and, finally, the conditions of the next crusade were regulated.
The fathers of the council did little more than approve the
seventy decrees presented to them; this approbation, nevertheless,
sufficed to impart to the acts thus formulated and promulgated the
value of {ecumenical decrees. Most of them are somewhat lengthy
and are divided into chapters. The following are the most
important:
� 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. (It is enough to remind the reader how long an
opposition preceded at Rome this recognition of Constantinople as
second in rank among the patriarchal sees.)
� 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, the chase, attendance at farces and
histrionic exhibitions.
� Canon 18: Priests, deacons, and subdeacons are forbidden to
perform surgical operations.
� Canon 19 forbids the blessing of water and hot iron for
judicial tests or ordeals.
� 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 78, 79: 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.
The council, moreover, made rules for the projected crusade,
imposed a four years' peace on all Christian peoples and princes
published indulgences, and enjoined the bishops to reconcile all
enemies, The council confirmed the elevation of Frederick II to
the German throne and took other important measures Its decrees
were widely published in many provincial councils.
H. LECLERCQ
Transcribed by Tomas Hancil
From the Catholic Encyclopedia, copyright � 1913 by the
Encyclopedia Press, Inc. Electronic version copyright � 1996 by
New Advent, Inc.
Taken from the New Advent Web Page (www.knight.org/advent).
This article is part of the Catholic Encyclopedia Project, an
effort aimed at placing the entire Catholic Encyclopedia 1913
edition on the World Wide Web. The coordinator is Kevin Knight,
editor of the New Advent Catholic Website. If you would like to
contribute to this worthwhile project, you can contact him by e-
mail at (knight.org/advent). For more information please download
the file cathen.txt/.zip.
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