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Little white crosses scattered before a statue of the Holy Family make up a poignant memorial called the Cemetery for Aborted Children in South Korea. Home to about 15 million Christians, South Korea suffers the highest rate of abortion in the world. During his trip to the country last August, Pope Francis visited the site in part to clear up the media's "misunderstanding of his social agenda," said Vatican journalist and Boston Globe associate editor John L. Allen Jr. Some media outlets had accused the pope of downplaying the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage to gain secular popularity. According to Allen, the pope's agenda is none other than mercy -- a value he hopes will permeate church leadership at every level. In a spirited talk before the National Association of Catholic Chaplains March 9, Allen described the visit as one of many examples of the pope's belief that "mercy" and "service" should define church leadership, not "power" and "authority." Allen added that the pope is a "mastermind" at reminding us that "we must be conscious of those in most need of God's loving mercy." Paraphrasing the pope, Allen said, "We should never get so caught up in pastoral planning that we become blind to the people." He also paraphrased Pope Francis in saying "we need pastors who carry the smell of their sheep" because of how close they are to their flock.

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