Catholic Council of Fourth Constantinople

The Fourth Council of Constantinople is the eighth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, held in the city of Constantinople from 869 to 870. The council was called by Emperor Basil I the Macedonian, with the support of Pope Hadrian II. It deposed and anathemized Photius, a layman who had been appointed as Patriarch of Constantinople, and reinstated his predecessor Ignatius. The Council also reaffirmed the decisions of the Second Council of Nicaea in support of icons and holy images and required the image of Christ to have veneration equal with that of the gospel book. It is commonly confused with the Fourth Council of Constantinople held by the Eastern Orthodox Church, which would take place in the subsequent decade.