The Church as an Institution

In this model, the mystery of the Church is manifested as societas perfecta. As Dulles observes, 'the notion of the Church as society by its very nature tends to highlight the structure of government as the formal element in the society. [... Nevertheless,] institutionalism [...] is not the same thing as the acceptance of the institutional element in the Church.' (30) A usefill aspect of this ecclesiology is that the powers and functions of the Church [are] divided into three: teaching, sanctifying and governing.' (31) The consequential distinction into the teaching Church versus the taught Church, the sanctifying Church versus the sanctified Church and the governing Church versus the governed Church (32) truly reflects the institutional character. Yet it may, and it often does, degenerate into institutionalism.

In the history of ecclesiology, only a few such models were developed and dominated theology for each given period. St Francis lived in mediaeval times, when the institution model of the Church as societas perfecta reigned -- the Church seeing herself as an institution. Naturally Francis acquired a similar ecclesiology. This was reflected in his understanding of the magisterium, the clergy and the hierarchy. Francis had a clear idea that the friars had to conform to the teaching of the Church, i.e. being part of the taught Church. The First Rule outlined the primacy of the magisterium: 'All the brothers must be Catholics, [and] live and speak in a Catholic manner. But if any of them has strayed from the Catholic faith and life, in word or in deed, and has not amended his ways, he should be completely expelled from our frater-nity.' (33) Regarding the conditions for the acceptance of candidates, Francis wrote: "The minister should diligently examine them concerning the Catholic faith and the sacraments of the Church.' (34)

The sanctifying / sanctified Church quality was brought out by Francis in his descriptions of the clergy. He asked all the faithful to visit churches frequently and venerate and show respect for the clergy because they alone administered the holy words and blood of our Lord Jesus. (35) Therefore those who sinned against the clergy committed a greater sin than against all other people of this world. (36) Without a taint of inclination to clericalism, Francis' concern for the clerics was not due to their own merit but because their ministry concerned the Body and Blood of our Lord, the only source of our sanctification.

There are more examples of the governing nature of the Church in Francis' own writings. His concern for approval and accordance manifested the institutional function well:

I command the ministers through obedience to petition the Lord Pope for one of the cardinals of the holy Roman Church, who would be the governor, protector, and corrector of this fraternity (Second Rule 12:3-4).

No [candidate] should be accepted contrary to the form and the prescription of the holy Church (First Rule 2:12).

The brothers shall not preach in the diocese of any bishop when he has opposed their doing so (Second Rule 9:1). No brother should preach contrary to the form and regulations of the holy Church [...] (First Rule 17:la).

The clerical [brothers] shall celebrate the Divine Office according to the rite of the holy Roman Church (Second Rule 3:1).

Taking these three functions as a whole, the 'institutional' Church --rather than an institutionalistic Church -- for Francis was not an obstacle to faith but instead became an expression of faith in terms of an object of obedience, a source of identity and a motivation of missions. Seeing the Pope as the visible head of the church, Francis proclaimed in the rule: 'Brother Francis and whoever will be the head of this order promises obedience and reverence to the Lord Pope Innocent and to his successors (First Rule Prologue).'

Dulles recognises the strong sense of corporate identity resulting from the institutional model as an asset. (37) No wonder Francis stated in the letter to the faithful that 'we must also be Catholics'. (38) In explaining why he wrote a Testament in addition to the Rule, he said, 'so that we may observe in a more Catholic manner the Rule.' These two uses of the word "Catholic" include not just the three functions of being taught, sanctified and governed but also a sense of pride. Dulles recognises that 'the institutional model gives strong support to the missionary effort [...] to save [non-believers'] souls by bringing them into the institution.' (39) On the surface at least, Francis' great interest in sending friars to Muslim places to preach and to convert them seems to confirm his ecclesiological leaning, although his true motivation may have been more salvific than institutional.

Although Francis' ecclesiology may have been institutional, it does not follow that Francis himself was institutionalistic or that he was thereby clericalist, juridicist and triumphalistic. (40) This is proved by the fact that Francis never received the holy order of priesthood, as well as that he was more concerned with compassion than punishment (41) for brothers at fault. Moreover, his own ecclesiology was richer than the institutional model -- it was supplemented by other models, as described below.

30. Dulles, 34.

31. Dulles, 37.

32. Dulles, 37.

33. First Rule 19:1, 2.

34. Second Rule 2:2

35. Second Letter to the Faithful 33 and 35

36. Admontion 26 : 3-4

37. Dulles, 42

38. Second Letter TO THE Faithful 32.

39. Dulles, 42.

40. Three criticisms of the institutional Church by Emile de Smedt, quoted in Dulles, 39.

41. This will be elaborated later.