Benedict II

Pope Benedict II served as Bishop of Rome from 26 June 684 to his death on 8 May 685 — a pontificate of roughly eleven months notable for a practical reform that eased the governance of papal elections. Born in Rome and possibly a member of the Savelli family (though this is not established with certainty), Benedict was sent young to the schola cantorum, the papal school of sacred music. There he excelled in his knowledge of Scripture and in singing, forming the intellectual and liturgical grounding that would mark his later ministry. When chosen by the Roman clergy and people in 683, Benedict could not be consecrated without the consent of Emperor Constantine IV in Constantinople — a customary requirement tied to the emperor's traditional role as head of the Roman people, but one that routinely caused long delays while Italy was governed from afar. He waited nearly a year before the imperial approval arrived. Once consecrated, Benedict petitioned Constantine IV for relief from this arrangement. According to the Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum, he obtained a decree that either abolished imperial confirmation of papal elections altogether or transferred the power of approval to the Exarch of Ravenna, the emperor's representative in Italy. The precise scope of the decree is debated, but it plainly shortened the gap between a pope's election and his consecration. Benedict also symbolically adopted the emperor's two sons, Justinian II and Heraclius — a gesture of goodwill that helped cement the agreement. Beyond this concession, Benedict worked to suppress Monothelitism. He sought the signatures of Spanish bishops to the decrees of the Third Council of Constantinople (680–681) and pressed for the submission of Macarius, the deposed bishop of Antioch, to those same decrees. He is also credited with restoring several Roman churches during his brief reign, among them Old St. Peter's Basilica and San Lorenzo in Lucina. Benedict died on 8 May 685 and was buried in St. Peter's. His feast day is observed on 7 May.