Who was chosen by Jesus to lead the church?

The disciples were led by the Holy Spirit after Jesus' death.

A: The disciples travelled to different places in the world, preaching the Word of God independently to various peoples. According to The Bible, the Holy Spirit came down to the disciples in a ball of fire, rendering them capable of speaking in all the "tongues of men" The resurrected Jesus told Peter to be the "rock" (Pope) of the Church before he ascended into heaven. Peter then went forth to Rome to preach Christianity and was later crucified upside down. Other disciples went in their own direction, such as saint Thomas who preached in India and is the reason why there are still Indian catholics.

Answer:

For the three days and three nights that Jesus WAS DEAD... the disciples were "LEADERLESS"... terrified, confused and locked away "for fear of the Jews" [John 20:19].

After He RESURRECTED... Jesus led them once more.

After Jesus' subsequent ascension into heaven... the Holy Spirit was sent to His disciples and passed on through baptism and the "laying on of hands" to all the generations of God's church that followed -- and Jesus has continued, uninterrupted, to build, instruct and lead His church [ekklesia; called out ones] to this day.