Emphasis is usually placed on the rigorous conscience of Saint Peter Damian and, as we see, not without reason. However, such rigor is not an exaggerated facileness or a dramatic resource. In times of crisis – like yours or ours – is when evil is best perceived, and when perhaps it is best understood how necessary it is to treat the sinner with indulgence and kindness, but always with the truth. Saint Peter Damian had, in that sense, a little of all those things when prudence and charity required it.
Therefore, those who judge him to condemn him must be reminded that the saint’s personality was essentially simple, very typical of the common man, of the ordinary Christian who loves the Lord and tries to follow in his footsteps. A curious fact: in his free time, Pedro used to make wooden spoons and other utensils for his brothers in the faith.
The final episode
Pope Alexander II sent Saint Peter Damian to resolve a problem in Ravenna, where the archbishop had declared open rebellion and incurred excommunication. Unfortunately, the saint arrived when the prelate had died, but his example of justice and charity in fraternal correction was such that the rebel’s accomplices recognized his error, assumed his penance and reformed his behavior.