lwēs mōlēˈnä, 1535–1600, Spanish Jesuit theologian. He taught at Coimbra and Évora. In 1589 he published Concordia, a work in which he expounded the doctrine known as Molinism. Molinism tries to reconcile the dogma of the efficacy of God's grace with the dogma of the freedom of human will. Discarding St. Thomas's reconciliation of the two dogmas (see grace), Molina made the condition of grace dependent upon the free consent of the will. The Dominicans attacked Molinism and Molina; the Jesuits defended him in a dispute that grew extremely bitter. The theology of Francisco Suárez attempted to bridge the differences.

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