Key facts
- Accepted by
- Catholic Church
- Previous council
- Third Council of the Lateran
- Next council
- First Council of Lyon
- Convoked by
- Pope Innocent III
- President
- Pope Innocent III
- Topics
- Crusading , ecclesiastical reform , heresy , Islam , Judaism , laity
- Documents and statements
- 71 papal decrees
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
Show 6 more facts
- point in time
- 1215-11-30
- start time
- 1215-11-11
- end time
- 1215-11-30
~12 min read
Article
The Fourth Council of the Lateran or Lateran IV was convoked by Pope Innocent III in April 1213 and opened at the Lateran Palace in Rome on 11 November 1215. Due to the great length of time between the council's convocation and its meeting, many bishops had the opportunity to attend this council, which is considered by the Catholic Church to be the twelfth ecumenical council.
The council addressed a number of issues, including the sacraments, the role of the laity, the treatment of Jews and heretics, and the organization of the church. The decree mandating annual confession has been called "perhaps the most important legislative act in the history of the church."