Abstract

The British Reformation has sometimes been described as the unquestioned victory of laity over the clergy. Yet the question of their representation by members of their own orders at all levels of the Church’s governance was widely discussed before becoming a reality. Once this stage was reached, further debates took place in order to determine which members of the laity might be represented, then about the criteria of representation concerning both candidates to electoral functions and those elected. If a baptismal franchise alone was finally established for the electors, eucharistic representativeness was favoured for those applying for election and for the elected, owing to the "sensus fidei" generated by a regular co-participation in the Eucharist.