LAITY
748
LAITY
rogued. When the Fathers met a second time at
Trent (1 May, 1551) Lainez (now provincial of the
Jesuits in Italy) and Salmeron were there as papal
theologians to Julius III. During the previous ses-
sions, Lainez had spoken at a time when the Fathers
of the council were already fagged out, and yet he held
their attention and carried their votes. Now the first
to speak were the papal theologians. Lainez dwelt
at great length on the Holy Eucharist and the Sacri-
fice of the Mass. 1 1 is said that the decrees and canons
of the Fourteenth Session were at this time written by
him (Cartas de S. Ignacio, I, 491).
After the death of St. Ignatius (1556) Lainez was elected vicar-general of the Society; about two years later be became its second general (1558). Paul IV now insisted on the triennial election of a general and the chanting of the Office in choir by the Jesuits. His wish was only verbally expressed, and that by a mes- senger. After his death (1559), at the advice of emi- nent canonists, Lainez discontinued the choir, and observed the constitutions of the order in regard to the generalate. A new difficulty now confronted him. Twelve votes were cast for Lainez in the effort to choose a successor for Paul IV, the reform party being intent upon electing him. His entreaties and sudden departure for parts unknown saved him from the pos- sibility. To Lainez is due the adoption of the "Con- stitutions" of the Society, and the importance that higher education was destined to have in working out in detail the general principle of its institution. Not- withstanding the labours incident to the governing of his order, Lainez still busied himself with the battle of tfie Church against heresy and neglect of ecclesiastical discipline. Pius IV sent him as theologian to the famous Conference of Poissy (1561) along with Cardi- nal Ippolito d'Este. There he engaged the Calvinistic ministers in dispute before the Queen Regent Cath- erine de' Medici. In his absence, Salmeroil was vicar- general at Rome. Meanwhile the third convocation of Trent was opened (18 January, 1562). Two Jesuits were present, Covillon and Canisius. Pius IV was not satisfied, nor were the party of reform, that the two protagonists of former convocations were absent; Sal- meron, Lainez, and Polanco were straightway ordered by the Holy Father to go to Trent as his theologians. Salmeron was tlie first to arrive. He spoke three hours on communion under one species. Lainez reached Trent in August, 1502. He was the first, as papal theologian, to speak on the Sacrifice of the Mass. His proofs were well luuler way, when the Fathers voted to allow him the whole of the next day for his discourse, which he delivered from a platform in the body of the cathedral. The opinions of Lainez, not only in matters dogmatic but in the practice of refus- ing the cup to the faithful, prevailed in the twenty second session.
The matter of the next session was exceedingly deli- cate — the f|uestion of orders, involving as it did the origin of episcopal jurisdiction. Lainez was one of the committee appointed to draw up the decrees and canons on the Sacrament of Orders; and to him the rest of the committee consigned that task. At the very outset of the discussions, the question of the Divine right of bishops came up; the discussions were carried on vigorously for nine months. Lainez stood firm for the Divine origin of the powers of the order of bishops, the Divine right of the episcopal body to ju- risdiction and the conferring of this jurisdiction upon each individual bishop directly by the pope and not by God. On two other occasions at Trent Lainez defended the papal origin of episcopal jurisdiction. In the end the council left the mooted question out of the decrees of the Twenty-third Session. Lainez re- mained in the council until its adjournment (4 De- cember, 1.56.'?). A little more than a year later (19 January, 1.555), he died at Rome.
Ribadeneira (Vida del Padre Lainez, III, xvi), who
knew Lainez, says he was small of stature and deli-
cate; his eyes were large, clear and full of life; his mind
was quick and accurate; his character noble, deep,
serious, large minded, firm, and strong. The chief
published works of Lainez are " Disputationes Tri-
dcntinse", ed. Cirisar, 2 vols. (Innsbruck, 1886); for
long list of other works, see Hurter, "Nomenclator",
and Sommervogel, " Bibliotheque de la Compagnie de
Jesus" (Paris, 1893).
AsTRAiN, Historia de la Compania de Jesus, I and II (Madrid, 1902, and 1905); Idem, Los Espai'ioles en el Concilia de Trento in Razon y Fe, III, IV: Duhr, Geschichte der Jesuiten in den Landem Deulscher Zunge, I (Freiburg im B., 1907); Tacchi Venturi, Storia della Compagnia di Gesu in Italia (Roma, 1910). The standard lives are tiiose of Ribadeneira and
BOERO.
Walter Drcm.
Laity (Gr. XaSs, "the people "; whence XaiVis, "one of the people ") means the body of the faithful, outside of the ranks of the clergy. This article treats the sub- ject under three heads: (1) General Idea; (2) Duties and Rights of the Laity; (3) Privileges and Restric- tions of the Laity.
General Idea. — Whereas the word faithful is op- posed to infidel, unbaptized, one outside the pale of Christian society, the word laity is opposed to clergy. The laity and clergy, or clerics, belong to the same society, but do not occupy the same rank. The laity are the members of this society who remain where they were placed by baptism, while the clergy, even if only tonsured, have been raised by ordination to a higher class, and placed in the sacred hierarchy. The Church is a perfect society, though all therein are not equal ; it is composed of two kinds of members (see can. "Duo sunt", vii. Cans. 12, Q. i, of uncertain origin): in the first place, those who are the depositaries of .sacred or spiritual authority under its triple aspect, government, teaching, and worship, i.e. the clergy, the sacred hier- archy established by Divine law (Cone. Trid., Sess. XXIII, can. vi) ; in the second place, those over whom this power is exercised, who are governed, taught, and sanctified, the Christian people, the laity; though for that matter clerics also, considered as individuals, are governed, taught, and .sanctified. But the laity are not the depositaries of spiritual power; they are the flock confided to the care of the shepherds, the dis- ciples who are instructed in the Word of God, the sub- jects who are guided by the successors of the Apostles towards their last end, which is eternal life. Such is the constitution which Our Saviour has given to His Church.
This is not the place for a detailed demonstration of this assertion, the proof of which may be reduced to the following points more fully developed under Church: on the one hand, a distinction between the governed and those governing is necessary in every organized .society; now Jesus Christ established His Church as a real society, endowed with all the author- ity requisite for the attaining of its object. On the other hand, in the Church, government has always been in the hands of those who were entrusted exclusively with the teaching of doctrine and the care of Divine worship. If one studies without prejudice the New Testament and the beginnings of Christianity, some doubt may arise on certain matters of detail; but the conclusion will certainly be that every Christian com- munity hail its .superiors, these superiors had a stable .spiritual authority, and this authority had as its end the exclusive care of religious functions (including teaching) as well as the government of the community. There have been differences of opinion concerning the origin of the monarchical episcopacy, which soon be- came the .sole form of ecclesiastical organization; but no one holds that the monarchical episcopacy suc- ceeded a period of anarchy or of government by a community where all had eq\ial authority. The organi- zation of all Christian Churches under the authority of the bishops and clergy, as early as the third century, is
