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 S…