Canons Regular of the Lateran

They and other bishops sought to shape the accepted lifestyles of their clergy on a domestic model, based on the communal pattern followed by the first Christians as depicted in the Acts of the Apostles.

The premier example of this effort was the life and work of Augustine of Hippo, who himself lived as a monk before being called to take up the office of bishop for his North African city.

Under the guidance of Cardinal Hildebrand of Sovana (later to become Pope Gregory VII), the Lateran Synod of 1059 organized and recognized these developing communities and recommended them as the preferred pattern of clerical life, at a time when mandatory celibacy was being made a universal requirement for the clergy of the Roman Church.

The canons' distinctive habit comprises a totally white cassock, sash, shoulder cape (mozzetta) and skull cap (zucchetto), identical to what the Pope wears as his daily attire.

With some ups and downs since Henry IV, the Vatican has maintained the tradition of making French heads of state honorary canons of St. John Lateran, upon their visit to Rome.

After many decades of neglect, the tradition was revived by President René Coty in 1957 and upheld by his successors Charles de Gaulle, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy.