The fourth council ecumenical of Lateran (often called Lateran IV ) is it twelfth oecumenical Concile of the Catholic church. It is held with Lateran in 1215 on the initiative of the Pape Innocent III.

Circumstances

The idea of the Concile initially was that of the Empereur of the East and the Patriarche of Constantinople, before the Great Schism of the East of 1054: they wished to discuss a meeting with the Église of Occident. When Innocent III takes up the idea of a new universal council, it is rather with an aim of preaching the Croisade and of speaking about the reform about the Church. Thus, the bubble of indiction of the council, Vineam Domini Sabaoth , is published the April 19th 1213, the same day as that of crusade ( Quia major nunc ).

The council wants to be universal as of the beginning: 80 provinces Ecclésiastique S are represented, that is to say 400 cardinals, Archevêque S, bishop S or patriarchs, 800 Abbé S, Prieur S or Doyen S. In all, 1.200 people are gathered (against 200 hardly for the council of Lateran I); the five patriarchs are present. It is the application of the principle of Roman law “ Quod omnes tangit ab omnes approbetur ” (“what concerns everyone must be approved by everyone”). However, it is undeniable that the 71 decrees or gun S taken by the council are before all the work of the Pape.

Principal decisions

The council is held in three solemn meetings, November 11th, 20th and 30th 1215. The course of the intermediate meetings is known to us by the relation known as of “the Anonymity of Giessen”. The debates take seat by nations before being carried in front of the pope and the bishops. Hearings take place: thus, the counts de Foix and of Toulouse, shown heresy, come to plead their cause in front of the council.

At the time of the closing session, the council proclaims general peace but also the crusade, promulgates its decrees and fulminates its anathemas.

Faith

The Symbol resulting from Lateran IV, contained in the dogmatic Constitution Of fide catholica , is five times longer than that of Nicée-Constantinople. The council affirms (mainly to condemn the Cathares) the Trinité, the human incarnation of the Christ, and introduced into the Dogme, under the influence of the Théologie NS Pierre Lombard and Etienne Langton, the concept of the Transsubstantiation.

The reform of the Church

Clerks

The Simony and the Nicolaïsme are again condemned, just as, for the clerks, drunkenness, the play, the participation in the feasts and the duel S or the practice of the Chirurgie. The council insists on their decency necessary: prohibition of the clothes of luxury, obligation to attend the offices, to keep the clean and suitable places of worship.

As regards the monks, the decline of certain orders as Cîteaux is denounced. The council prohibits all new creation of order and any new rule.

The laic ones

With regard to the laic ones, the sacraments are the subject of a work of definition. It is the case for example for the Confession, but also the Eucharistie: the decree Utriusque sexus imposes the confession and the annual communion on all the laic ones arrived at the age of discretion ( annos discretionis : the age to which one distinguishes the good from the evil) or the Age of Enlightenment.

Against the Catharisme, the quality of the marriage is put forward like one of the seven Sacrement S and defined as the union of two wills more than like that of two bodies. The legislation on this subject is refined: the minimal relationship is brought back to 4 degrees (instead of 7 since the Gregorian Réforme), the banns become obligatory even if the marriages without priest and banns remain valid: they are the grooms and not the priest who confer the sacrament.

Lastly, in the legal field, the Ordalie (or judgment of God) is prohibited.

Heretics and infidels

The council deals with the Albigensian question: Raymond VI, count de Toulouse, are relieved. The council also condemns the Amauriciens, considered to be guilty of Panthéisme, and works of Joachim de Flore, shown Trithéisme. More generally, the council reaffirms the bases of the catholic policy against the heretics: the bishops are charged to flush out the heresies, and the civil authorities must lend their contest to them. Within the framework of the council, the pope projects with holy Dominique and Foulques, bishop of Toulouse the establishment of the future Ordre of the Preaching friars (or Dominican).

Lateran IV is held shortly after the Great Schism of the East of 1204: the council vigorously condemns the “insolence” of the Greek clergy, the rites Eastern and reaffirms the préémenince Pape.

Lastly, the council calls with the Croisade against the Sarrasins and recalls the Indulgence from which the crusaders profit, and the protection granted by the Church to the people and to the goods of the crusaders. In addition, prohibition is again made trade with the Moslems. Innocent III dies shortly after the council, and finally the crusade which he preached will not leave.

Assessment

IVe council of Lateran revêt a considerable importance in the history of the Church. After the Council of Thirty, it is that which inserted the greatest number of articles in the canonical Droit. If it made significant efforts for moraliser the Church and its clerks, and to develop the pastoral one near the faithful ones, it also adopted positions carrying danger, in particular as regards policy.

Moreover, in spite of a great number of assistants, the council is finally only not very representative of Christendom: the half of the bishops are Italian and Guelfes, the Eastern Church very slightly presents. Lastly, the stress laid on repression against the Jews and the heretics let precede the Inquisition.

See too