Fourth Lateran Council Essay

The Fourth Lateran Council, as called by Pope Innocent III (1198-1216), was conducted on April 19, 1215. This council is sometimes referred to as the “Great Council” as over nine-hundred abbots and over four-hundred bishops attended the event at the Lateran palace in Rome. Some of these clergy men were “coming from as far afield as the Latin empire of Constantinople and crusader-held territories in the Levant (MP p. 139)” due to the importance of the event. The council, or synod as it sometimes is referred, was executed as a means to strengthen the influence of Christendom and the Catholic faith as held by the medieval papacy. In order to accomplish this, ecclesiastical canon laws were created and later implemented. These canons provided pastoral care for Christians, implemented rules for properly managed clerical offices, combated heresy, and formed new plans for future crusades. The canons affected everyone, as they “offered a wide-ranging, comprehensive set of reforms and regulations for governing the lives of Christians, including rulers and ruled, clergy and laity, men and women (MP. 139).” After reviewing source 6.23 …show more content…
Importantly, those who were not of the Christian faith were still held accountable to the list of canons that the papacy formed; the papacy extended its rule. Jews, pagans, and proclaimed heretics suffered as a result of the newly introduced canons and the pronounced strengthening of Christendom at the time. Though the Christians received increased regulation as a result from the council, they climbed in social hierarchy status and continued to receive far greater treatment than those not belonging to the church. The fourth Lateran council transformed medieval Europe in a way that elevated Christian supremacy and shunned other outside sources that opposed the