After his coronation, Conrad issued decrees, that outlined the reorganisation of the monasteries and dioceses of Italy with the explicit objective to bring the Patriarchate of Venice under imperial control (see the "Schism of the Three Chapters"). On April 6, 1027, at a synod held in the Lateran Basilica with Pope John XIX, the emperor addressed the matter acknowledging the Patriarchate of Aquileia superior to the Patriarchate of Grado, an ally of the Byzantine Empire. The Aquileian Poppo had been a loyal supporter of Emperor Henry II, who appointed him patriarch in 1020. Conrad's action placed the patriarchate at Grado under Poppo's authority, securing Poppo's loyalty by making him the Emperor's top official in northern Italy. The synod ended the independence of the Grado church and limited the political autonomy of Venice. In so doing, Conrad broke with the policies of his predecessors and revoked Venice's privileged trading status.