The truth of salvation in Christ is not a rigid letter that can be preserved in a book. It is a treasure that the Lord gave to the apostles so that their union would be the sure guarantee of their possession of the truth of salvation. The apostles passed this treasure on to the bishops so that they might complete the mission, in their union with the Church - the Body of Christ, where the Holy Spirit works. In doing so, they do not express their own opinion, but the will of the Holy Spirit who dwells in the Church.

The Church is the link between humans themselves, and between them and God, in the image of the partnership existing between the Holy Trinity. In this sense, there was a Church in Paradise, but the fall of man from the first communion led to the transfer of the Church from Paradise to earth.