Societas perfecta
A perfect society ( " Perfect Community " or " Perfect Company") is a self-sufficient in political philosophy, Catholic ecclesiology and the Catholic Church right in the sense or independent community that they are all necessary to achieve their ( extensive ) objective means and conditions itself has no parent and community is subjected. This independence was attributed essentially to the polis ( city-state ), the State and the Church in the history of use of the term.
Starting point of the concept development was the political philosophy of Aristotle, who described the existing of several villages polis as " perfect communion " ( κοινωνία τέλειος ), " in a sense, has the perfect self-sufficiency ". The goal of the polis is the good life and it consists of nature.
The idea of " perfect communion " was recorded back in medieval philosophy. In direct reference to Aristotle calls about Thomas Aquinas the state ( " civitas " ) is a perfect communion ( " communitas perfecta ").
While in the natural law tradition of the Enlightenment, such as at Puffendorf, decidedly only the state the essential properties of a perfect society has, which the Church must therefore be subordinated, was attributed in Catholic philosophy and theology more and more the Church the character of a perfect society. The order given mutual independence of church and state secured the church (in theory) the freedom from the growing demands of the state to interfere in church affairs.
The highlight of this development was the adoption of this doctrine of the two " perfect societies" (Church and State ) by the magisterium by Pope Pius IX. and especially Leo XIII .. In his encyclical Dei Immortal Leo XIII leads. about in relation to the church:
[ ... ] It is a perfect society of its own kind and in its own right, since they have all that is necessary for their existence and their effectiveness, and referred to in the will and the grace of its founder, in itself and by itself. As the goal to which strives towards the Church, by far the most sublime, so also is their power far superior to all others, and they may therefore be considered neither as less than the civil power, yet these are inferior in any way.
The two perfect societies correspond to two powers, the ecclesiastical and the State:
The one who has the care of divine affairs, the other for the human. Each one is in its nature the highest: each has certain limits within which it moves, limitations arising from the nature and purpose of each of the next two powers.
Thus, while in principle the harmonious relationship between church and state over the clear delineation of their responsibilities is secured, there must be an order between the two powers for cases where these areas overlap. To illustrate this order Leo compares the relationship of church and state the relationship between body and soul.
Until the Second Vatican Council was the doctrine of the two perfect societies in which Leo XIII. recorded version determinative in Catholic theology and the Catholic Church law.
In the Second Vatican Council itself as well as in the new church law, the doctrine is not explicitly mentioned again. Hardly an issue - In the modern, post-conciliar Catholic theology she plays - except as negative background film.
Whether the council itself has also abandoned the doctrine of the two perfect societies of content is controversial. In any case, Pope Paul VI. even after the council still related directly to it. In the Motu proprio Sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum to the duties of the papal legate (1969 ), he summarizes the theory briefly:
It can not be denied that the tasks of church and state belong to different orders. Church and state are perfect societies in their own respective field. This means that they have their own legal system and all required for this agent. You are also entitled under their respective jurisdiction to apply its laws. On the other hand, it must not be overlooked that both are concerned about the welfare of the same people, namely the people who are called by God to gain eternal salvation.