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.
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...