The Church as a Perfect Society
Understanding the Church as a perfect society provides a crucial foundation for defending Her rights and sovereignty.
The concept of a "perfect society" has largely fallen into disuse in modern discourse, yet it remains foundational for understanding the proper relationship between Church and State in their divinely ordained roles. The loss of this understanding helps explain the decline from Christian civilization into modern secular culture. But what does it mean for the Church to be a perfect society, and how does this shape the Catholic vision for harmony between spiritual and temporal powers?
According to Fr. Thomas Crean, a perfect society is one that "has as its end the complete sufficiency of life, that is, a fullness of happiness for those who belong to it; and it possesses within itself all the means necessary for achieving that end." This understanding derives from Aristotle's concept of "complete community".
Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira addresses common misconceptions: "I have seen progressivists laugh at the Church, saying: 'Traditionalist Catholics say that the Church is a perfect society, but look at this or that Pope who was imperfect.' This kind of objection only proves that the person making it has no idea what he is talking about."1
While both Church and State have historically been called perfect societies, only the Church is intrinsically such, since she alone possesses within herself all means necessary for humanity's ultimate fulfillment. The State can be called perfect only in a qualified sense.
The Church's unique status as a perfect society stems from its divine institution by Christ Himself, aimed at supernatural rather than merely human ends. Fr. Ioachim Salaverri explains: "The Church has as her end the supernatural salvation of men, and as objective means the evangelical law, the doctrine of faith and morals, and the divine mysteries; and as subjective means, the hierarchical powers of teaching, sanctifying, and ruling men."2
This divine architecture positions the Church distinctly within society, functioning alongside but independently from civil powers. Pope Leo XIII articulated this relationship in Immortale Dei: "The Almighty, therefore, has given the charge of the human race to two powers, the ecclesiastical and the civil, the one being set over divine, and the other over human, things. Each in its kind is supreme, each has fixed limits within which it is contained, limits which are defined by the nature and special object of the province of each…"3
Prof. Plinio reinforces this view by highlighting that Christ established the Church not just for governance but to foster a divine connection, enabling people to serve and love God, with the ultimate aim of salvation. This setup includes the Papacy, a hierarchy for guidance, the Sacraments for grace, all tailored to align earthly life with heavenly ideals, safeguarding the Church's mission against spiritual adversaries.
As a perfect society, the Church exercises three types of power within its domain:
Legislative Power: The Church formulates laws and doctrines that guide its members towards their ultimate goal. These laws are obligatory, meaning everyone in the Church must follow them, as they are designed to keep everyone aligned with the Church's mission.
Judiciary Power: It resolves disputes and clarifies uncertainties about Church laws. When members are unsure or in disagreement about what the laws mean or how they should be applied, the Church's judicial system provides authoritative answers, ensuring consistency and stability among the faithful.
Coercive Power: The Church has the authority to impose penalties on those who violate its laws, like excommunication, to correct behavior, deter wrongdoing, and maintain order.4
These powers, as Salaverri emphasizes, derive directly from Christ's authority given to the Apostles to "bind and loose," establishing the Church's divine mandate to govern its spiritual community.5
The Church's perfection in its realm means it must operate independently of secular governments in pursuing its spiritual objectives. However, this independence doesn't imply complete separation between Church and State. Instead, it calls for a cooperative relationship where each respects the other's authority in their respective fields.
As Prof. Plinio states: "Both the Church and State are indispensable. Each has its proper role that cannot be replaced - except temporarily - by the other." God has assigned governance over spiritual matters to the Church and secular matters to the State, each sovereign within defined boundaries.6
Leo XIII explains the proper ordering of these powers: "Whatever, therefore in things human is of a sacred character, whatever belongs either of its own nature or by reason of the end to which it is referred, to the salvation of souls, or to the worship of God, is subject to the power and judgment of the Church. Whatever is to be ranged under the civil and political order is rightly subject to the civil authority. Jesus Christ has Himself given command that what is Caesar's is to be rendered to Caesar, and that what belongs to God is to be rendered to God."7
Pius XI reinforces this teaching in Divini Illius Magistri: "The Church is independent of any sort of earthly power as well in the origin as in the exercise of her mission, not merely in regard to her proper end and object, but also in regard to the means necessary and suitable to attain that end."8
The Church as a perfect society operates through intermediary bodies - families, guilds, and local communities - that connect individuals to the broader social order. As Prof. Plinio observes, "Insofar as the State maintains these intermediary bodies and promotes their growth, it is organic and feudal; to the degree that it stifles or extinguishes them, it becomes artificial and revolutionary." The health of these institutions thus serves as a measure of whether society is developing organically in accord with its divine ordering.9
The idea of the Church being a "perfect society" became especially significant during the 1800s and early 1900s, as a counter to rising secularism and the sovereignty of modern states. Pope Leo XIII made it clear in Immortale Dei that the Church, like the State, stands as a complete entity in its own right, with the implication that neither should the State ignore religious responsibilities, nor should it treat all religions the same.
This notion was later expanded by Pope Pius XI, who in Divini Illius Magistri underscored the Church's autonomy in its educational mission, independent of secular authority.
The absence of "perfect society" language in modern Church discourse has created a dangerous theoretical vacuum.
The Church in recent times has failed to utilize the language of “perfect society” in her writings leaving room for encroachments against this immemorial teaching. This gap has real consequences, as demonstrated during recent crises when civil authorities presumed to restrict the Church's most fundamental rights - attempting to shut down Masses, limit sacraments, and dictate the terms of Her divine worship. Such encroachments would have been unthinkable when the Church's status as a perfect society was widely understood and defended. Recovering this doctrine provides an essential philosophical and legal foundation for asserting the Church's God-given rights and sovereign authority in matters spiritual, while highlighting Her irreplaceable role in fostering both temporal and eternal good.
Understanding the Church as a perfect society provides a crucial foundation for defending Her rights and sovereignty. The Church and State are meant to exist in harmony, each sovereign in its domain, while the Church's eternal mission provides direction for temporal affairs. This vision doesn't advocate theocracy, but rather a properly ordered Christian Civilization where spiritual authority guides and elevates civil governance without supplanting it.
In such a civilization, the spiritual life holds primacy while respecting legitimate civil authority. The State benefits from the Church's moral guidance while allowing Her to freely pursue Her divine mission. This harmonious relationship creates a society where temporal prosperity serves eternal ends, enabling humanity to flourish both in this world and in preparation for the next.
You can follow Adrian Fonseca on X @AdrianFonze
Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, "The Perfect Societies: Church & State," Tradition in Action.
Joachim Salaverri, "De Ecclesia Christi," in Sacrae Theologiae Summa, vol. I (1955), 949.
Leo XIII, Immortale Dei (1885), 13.
Salaverri, "De Ecclesia Christi," 952.
Ibid. 953.
Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, "The Perfect Societies: Church & State," Tradition in Action.
Leo XIII, Immortale Dei, 14.
Pius XI, Divini Illius Magistri (1929), 18.
Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, "The Perfect Societies: Church & State," Tradition in Action.
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great read!