|
|
Saint Peter of Verona
"He was born at Verona, in 1206 as son of Catharii, adherents of the Manich�an heresy, which still survived in northern Italy in the thirteenth century. He went to a Catholic school, and later to the University of Bologna, where Peter is said to have maintained his orthodoxy and at the age of fifteen, met Saint Dominic. Peter joined the Order of the Friars Preachers (Dominicans) and became a celebrated preacher throughout northern and central Italy.
In 1252, because of his virtues, severity of life and doctrine, talent for preaching, and zeal for the Faith, Pope Innocent IV appointed him general inquisitor; he had been fighting against heretics since the 1230's under Gregory IX.
As his superiors destined him to combat the Manich�ans, he evangelized nearly the whole of Italy, preaching in Rome, Florence, Bologna, Genoa, and Como. Crowds came to meet him and followed him wherever he went; and conversions were numerous. He never failed to denounce the vices and errors of Catholics who confessed the Faith by words, but in deeds denied it. The Manich�ans did all they could to compel the inquisitor to cease from preaching against their errors and propaganda. Persecutions, calumnies, threats, nothing was left untried.
He was murdered on 6 April, 1252, when returning from Como to Milan by Catharii. A certain Carino who with some other Manich�ans had plotted to murder him struck his head with an axe, and then gave Peter's companion Dominic several fatal wounds. Rising to his knees he recited the first article of the Symbol of the Apostles, and offering his blood as a sacrifice to God he dipped his fingers in it and wrote on the ground the words: "Credo in Unum Deum". The murderer then pierced his heart.
Text Source: Wikipedia
"
21 files, last one added on Jul 23, 2006
|
- 
- 
