Abstract: Taking religious institution as a body for charity, this paper deals with some current affairs debating in the field of religious governance. The author suggests that religious institution has been the main body for charity in the history of world and China as well. The religious motivation and practicing has been the origin of charity. Then the paper takes the examples from an Italian Catholic charity organization of Community of Sant’Edegio and a Shanghai Protestant charity group from Pu’an Church to examine the relationship between religion and charity. The author suggests that the charity invested by religious institution should be distinguished as the “fourth section” when sociologists take charity as the “third section”.

Key words: religion, charity, religion and charity, Community of Sant&rsquo, Edegio