Cardinal-designate Arlindo Gomes Furtado, whose diocese is part of an archipelago 400 miles off the coast of West Africa, said the challenges to the church in Cape Verde mirror those found elsewhere. "We are trying to make the church more open, welcoming ... more dynamic in its evangelization," he told Catholic News Service, adding that the spiritual aid given to families and especially the youth has been a top priority for the dioceses in the country. "Poverty and the rise of unemployment often lead to increased violence, and that is of great concern to us." In a telephone interview from his diocese, based in the Cape Verde capital, Praia, Cardinal-designate Furtado said he had no idea Pope Francis was going to name him a cardinal Jan. 4: "It was a complete and total surprise." He will be among 20 men elevated to the College of Cardinals at a Feb. 14 consistory at the Vatican. The 65-year-old said he believes he was chosen because of the history of the Catholic Church in his Portuguese-speaking country. The diocese, based in the capital, is one of the oldest dioceses in Africa, he said, adding, "I believe it was time for a cardinal to be chosen from here."
The twelve apostles chosen by Jesus formed the bedrock of the early Church , and their Catholic identity is deeply rooted in their direct relationship with Christ and the mission He entrusted to them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights this foundational role, stating that Jesus "instituted the Twelve as 'the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy'" ( CCC 860 ). These men were not simply followers; they were handpicked by Jesus, lived intimately with Him, witnessed His miracles and teachings firsthand, and were specifically commissioned to preach the Gospel to all nations ( Matthew 28:19-20 ). Their unique position as eyewitnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and their reception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, established them as the authoritative leaders of the nascent Church, a reality echoed in the writings of early Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch, who emphasized the apostles' authority as repre...