THE QUOTATION IS THE OPENING OF ONE OF JORGE MARIO BERGOGLIO’S MOST POWERFUL JESUIT ARTICLES, ‘SILENCIO Y PALABRA’ (‘SILENCE AND WORD’), WHICH HE WROTE DURING THE FIRST MONTHS OF HIS ‘DESERT’ PERIOD IN THE ARGENTINE CITY OF CÓRDOBA, IN 1990; ‘WHEN IT’S OUR TURN TO LIVE THROUGH A DIFFICULT SITUATION, SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS THAT SILENCE IS NOT A VIRTUOUS ACT BUT IS THE ONLY OPTION, ONE IMPOSED BY CIRCUMSTANCES.’
