At the opening, on 28 June, after the singing of the Veni Creator, Spiritu, Innocent IV preached on the subject of the five wounds of the Church and compared them to his own five sorrows: (1) the poor behaviour of both clergy and laity; (2) the insolence of the Saracens who occupied the Holy Land; (3) the Great East-West Schism; (4) the cruelties of the Tatars in Hungary; and (5) the persecution of the Church by the Emperor Frederick.
Pada pembukaan, tanggal 28 Juni, setelah menyanyikan Veni Creator, Spiritu, Innocent IV berkhotbah tentang masalah lima luka Gereja dan membandingkannya dengan lima dukanya sendiri: (1) perilaku buruk klerus dan umat awam; (2) penghinaan dari Saracen yang menduduki Tanah Suci; (3) Skisma Besar Timur-Barat; (4) kekejaman bangsa Tatar di Hongaria; dan (5) penganiayaan terhadap Gereja oleh Kaisar Frederich.