The Mystery of the Church, Body of Christ and Temple of the Holy Spirit

The construction of a church offers many possibilities of expression and generates great interests among architects and artists. Nonetheless, it is possible to inquire if these interests are founded upon an adequate comprehension of the Mystery of the Church. An architecture's formal quality or its conformity with the criteria of urbanization is not enough; neither is the proper arrangement of liturgical elements for worship and the celebration of the sacraments sufficient. The temple ought to express a familiarity with the ecclesial Mystery accessible to the faithful; it has to be a place of welcome, surprise, separation from the exterior world, and intimacy. For this purpose, a friendly dialogue between theologians and architects is indispensable.