While fully appreciating my colleague Michael Holman’s account of the roots in Jesuit spirituality of the new Pope’s self-revelations in his recent interview (“Decoding Pope Francis”, 28 September), I couldn’t help feeling that Paul Vallely, in highlighting the agonies Bergoglio underwent during and after his time as provincial of Argentinian Jesuits, was closer to the mark in decoding Pope Francis the man. It is difficult for any who didn’t live through those times in Latin America to appreciate the fear and horror that was the Dirty War of the generals and its aftermath, when opinions and loyalties were polarised and it was impos­sible to remain neutral. Jorge Bergoglio made many mistakes, as he now never tires of reminding us, as he tried to hold