The Spirit in the Church 

There was no reference at the Vatican Council to the expression of Bossuet, “The Church is the prolongation of the Incarnation.” Why did the bishops not use that expression? Because there had been a neglect of the Holy Spirit in our understanding of the Church. It is because the Holy Spirit, as it was important in the physical body of Christ, is also important in his ecclesial body. The Church, therefore, is the historical manifestation of the supra-historical Christ, thanks to his Spirit. That's the Church. That is why we obey the Church: she is Christ, and the Spirit is in her.