Pope Benedict I

Benedict, son of Boniface, was elected after John III died but couldn't take office until the Byzantine emperor confirmed it - a delay of eleven months as Lombard invasions made communication nearly impossible. He finally became bishop of Rome on 2 June 575. During his four years he granted church estates, ordained fifteen priests and three deacons, and consecrated twenty-one bishops. The Lombards kept coming, bringing famine in their wake, and the Tiber flooded. The records are sparse - perhaps few were ever made. He died on 30 July 579 while Rome was under siege, buried in the vestibule of St. Peter's sacristy, his efforts to ease the suffering unfinished.