Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) helped the theocracy of the papacy reach its peak. Innocent forcibly asserted that the pope retained authority to intercede in internal affairs of secular rulers if they interfered with Christendom. He claimed that no person could judge the pope and that while he was lower than God, he was still higher than man. At the Fourth Lateran Council, his power was strengthened with several decrees such as declaring the Eastern Orthodox Church subordinate to the Roman Catholic church, prohibiting the state from taxing clergy, and requiring Catholic members to confess sins at least yearly. The Council also decreed that the sacrament bread and wine used in the Eucharist actually contain the body and blood of Christ.
