Pope Bendict I was appointed as the Sixty-Second Pope of the Catholic Church on June 2, AD575. Like most of the Pontiffs during this period, information is scarce about his pontificate.

During these times a rift existed between Rome and Constantinople, causing a major delay in electing the successor to Peters throne. Pope Benedict I was forced to wait eleven months for the emperor to approve his election as the Pontiff.

Most of the issues surrounding his election concerned the Lombards and the war the battles they staged in Italy at the time. Benedict I spent most of his time as pope dealing with the Lombards and their threats.

The Lombards continued to move through Italy during his reign and constantly fought the Church for more land. These battles caused widespread famine that lasted for years and left Roman Catholics in despair.

Finally in the summer of AD579, the Lombards laid siege on Rome. Pope Benedict I then appealed to the emperor for help in rescuing the city of Rome from the hands of the Lombards, but to no avail.

The helpless Pontiff spend the rest of his days battling with the Lombards and trying to hold the Church together. When he attained eternal rest on July 30 AD579, he had been pope for 1,519 days.