Diego Laynez

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Several spellings of his names (James, Jacob; Laines, Laynez, Lainez) are in use and some of them can be found in other Wikipedia articles

Diego Laynez (or Lainez), (1512-19 January 1565) was a Spanish Jesuit priest and theologian, and the 2nd Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

He was born in Almazán in Castile. Though a Catholic he was of Jewish ancestry (probably a fourth generation Catholic). He graduated from the University of Alcalá, and then continued his studies in Paris, where he came under the influence of Ignatius of Loyola. He was one of the six men who, with Loyola, formed the original group of Friends in the Lord, later Society of Jesus, taking, in the Montmartre church, the vows of personal poverty and chastity in the footsteps of Christ, and committing themselves to going to Jerusalem.

Because of unfavourable circumstances (no ship going to Palestine) the pilgrimage to Jerusalem fell through, and Laynez with Loyola and the other Friends in the Lord (by then they were ten) offered their services to the Pope. After the Order had been definitely established (1540) Laynez, among other missions visited Germany. He was one of Pope Paul III's theologians at the Council of Trent, where he played a major part, especially at its last session (1562-63) to which Laynez had been invited as Superior General of the Society of Jesus. At one point he was also professor of scholastic theology at La Sapienza.

When Loyola died in 1556 Laynez acted as Vicar General of the Society. Because of an internal crisis and difficult relations with Pope Paul IV, the General Congregation was delayed by two years. Finally convened and opened on the 2 July 1558 Diego Laynez was elected at the first ballot and became the second Superior-General of the Society of Jesus.

On the death of Pope Paul IV, many cardinals wished to elect Laynez pope, but he fled from them in order to avoid this fate.

[edit] Writings

LAYNEZ, Diego, Lainii Monumenta: Epistolae et Acta (8 vol.), IHSI, Madrid, 1912-17.
His Disputationes Tridentinae were published in 2 volumes in 1886.