‘Silence is more powerful than ideologies and weapons,’ says a priest

“Silence is not a ‘Zen’ meant to distract us entirely, but rather a force to overcome distraction," said Fr. Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori, Abbot General of the Cistercian Order and Vice President of the Union of Superiors General, during an event titled “Listening to the Call of Silence, for a Consecrated Life in Synodality Aware of Its Origin and Destiny.” 

Held at the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) headquarters in Rome, Italy, and streamed online on March 14, the gathering brought together over 450 participants to reflect on the profound significance of silence in an increasingly noisy world.

Fr. Mauro emphasized that true silence, rooted in Christ, is "ontologically more powerful than all the world’s armaments, ideologies, and media dominators."

He argued that the Church's response to the chaos of modern society does not always require raising its voice but rather cultivating a more profound awareness of reality as revealed by Jesus. “Some must speak loudly, as the pope does. 

However, even when we proclaim the truth forcefully, it is important that our words come from the consciousness of reality that originates from and returns to God,” he stated.

Reflecting on the transformative role of silence, Fr. Mauro explained that it creates space for a voice to reach us—a voice that does not deafen but affirms our existence and value. 

“If a voice calls me tenderly, without shouting, it means that it calls me—specifically me, and not someone else," he noted, stressing that silence enables true listening.

He illustrated the point with an anecdote from his pastoral work, recalling a two-year-old child who would instinctively raise his finger to quiet his arguing parents, sensing that silence was needed to hear something beyond their conflict.

He further drew a parallel to Jesus' silent act of washing the disciples’ feet, describing it as "the exercise of power that does not succumb to worldly power but saves freedom by expressing it as love." 

This kind of silence, he explained, is not passive but deeply transformative, allowing a person to act with clarity and purpose rather than being absorbed by the noise of the world.

Beyond external noise, the priest identified distraction as one of the greatest threats to vocation, calling it "perhaps the worst betrayal of a vocation, the root of unfaithfulness." 

He warned that distraction does not always manifest as visible disobedience but as a slow drifting away, where outward appearances remain intact, but the heart is no longer fully engaged. 

“Perhaps everything is done according to the rules, all forms are respected, everything that must be done is done well, but the heart does not follow," he cautioned. He likened the scenario to the rich young man who walked away from Jesus despite having observed the commandments, illustrating how attachment to lesser things can silently erode one’s calling.

Fr. Mauro’s reflections present silence as a powerful spiritual tool, offering a remedy for distraction and a path toward deeper synodality. His message serves as an invitation to embrace silence not as absence but as presence—the space where God speaks, calls, and transforms.