ABSTRACT
The Fourth Lateran Council was the greatest of the medieval councils. It was called by the greatest of the medieval popes, Innocent III, to plan for the "regaining of the Holy Land and the reform of the whole Church". Canon I is a very comprehensive and exact summary of the theology of Medieval Catholicism. In the canon the word "transubstantiation" receives official approval and the power of the priest is emphasized. Canon XXI is important because it requires all those who have reached the age of reason to confess once a year to a parish priest. It states All believers of both sexes shall after coming to the age of discretion faithfully confess all their sins at least once a year in private to their own priest, and strive to fulfil to the best of their ability the penance imposed upon them.
