What was the role of the laity after Vatican Council II?

Answer 1

The role of the laity, after Vatican Council II, was emphasized more than it had ever been previously. They were asked to take an active part in the Most Holy Eucharist and not be mere passive observers. They were to take an active part in living their baptismal roles of priest, prophet, and king, and be true evangelists in their lives truly meeting Jesus in prayer and Sacraments and bringing Him to all they met during the day.

Answer 2

Previous to the Second Vatican Council, lay people were forbidden to enter the sanctuary, they were forbidden to touch the Sacred Species, they were forbidden to read, etc. at Mass. Most of these prohibitions were in place because the priest's hands were specifically consecrated during his ordination specifically to handle the Sacred Species. You had to at least be tonsured and in minor Orders to even handle the chalice and paten. Lay people were permitted to do these things following the Second Vatican Council, and for the most part, it has been a disaster. People have lost the reverence that they used to have for the sacred, and priestly vocations have fallen to a mere fraction of what they were before. I think that can be greatly attributed to the lay people taking the roles that previously only the priest had.