Final answer:
The primary differences between the relationships of laity and monks in Eastern and Western Churches come down to doctrinal and cultural practices, including the celibacy of clergy, language of worship, and decentralized authority in the East versus the papal supremacy in the West.
Step-by-step explanation:
The relationships between the laity and monks in both the Eastern and Western Churches have historical divergences that are rooted in both doctrinal and cultural differences. In the Western Church, the church operated in Latin, and the pope was given supreme authority, which was not the case in the Eastern Church, where Greek was the liturgical language and authority was more evenly distributed among various patriarchs. Additionally, Western monasticism, heavily influenced by the work of Saint Benedict, evolved to see monasteries become economic centers, whereas Eastern Orthodox monasticism has retained a more ascetic and prayer-centered focus. In the East, the relationship between lay people and monks is distinct in that priests are permitted to marry, whereas in the Western Church, clergy are expected to be celibate. The division between the secular (who lived in the world) and regular clergy (who lived under a religious rule, typically as monks) also reflects differences in how the two traditions conceive of the role and worldliness of their religious figures. Over time, these differences, including disputes over practices such as the use of religious images, led to the great schism and the separate development of Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Christianity.