Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 27: Benedict V

Benedict was pope for about a month in 964, between the death of John XII and the reinstallation of Leo VIII. The Roman nobles were no more interested in Leo as pope the second time as they were the first time, and they elected Benedict, who also enjoyed the support of the local militia.

Envoys sent to Holy Roman Emperor Otto I to tell him of the election were warned that Benedict should not be made pope. They returned to Rome with the message, but the locals decided to proceed, and Benedict's coronation went off as planned.

Otto, still wanting to get Leo on the throne, laid siege to Rome. While Benedict did what he could to boost morale among the defending troops, the city could not hold out in the face of ongoing famine. Benedict was brought in front of a synod (led by Leo) accusing him of breaking his oath to not elect a pope without the emperor's consent. Benedict acknowledged his guilt in return for his life.

Stripped down to the rank of deacon, Benedict wound up in Hamburg, under the care of the local archbishop. He died a little over a year later. 

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 26: Leo VIII

This Leo hold a distinction from all the other Leos we've discussed here, in that he served as both an antipope and a pope. And in both instances, his reign was short enough to qualify for inclusion here.

Leo first took the throne in 963, being installed by Holy Roman Emperor Otto I after the emperor deposed the sitting pope, John XII (who had sent Leo as part of delegation to Otto in an attempt to appease him, which clearly didn't go as planned). John still had a strong base of support in Rome, which rebelled and tried to overthrow Leo, only to be put down by Otto's troops. Leo did arrange for those nobles taken prisoner to be released, but when Otto eventually left Rome John's supporters rebelled again, driving Leo out of Rome.

John retook the papacy, and excommunicated Leo, who remained in Otto's court. John would die a few months later, prompting Otto to return to Rome, dethrone John's replacement (Benedict V, who we'll chat about tomorrow), and reinstall Leo as pope. 

This time around, Leo was able to hold the throne for nearly a year before he died. His rule was relatively peaceful, though it's believed that a number of bulls attributed to him that gave the Holy Roman Emperor investiture power over popes, bishops, and archbishops were at least tampered with, if not forged outright. This would contribute to what is known as the Investiture Controversy, which took a couple of centuries to straighten out.

The question of how to classify Leo's time in office did linger, with the general consensus being that Leo was an antipope during his first run as pope as John XII did not willingly give up the papacy. Where Benedict did give up the papacy (albeit under some sort of duress), and no one else tried to restore him (or claim the throne for themselves), Leo can be considered pope during his second run.

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 25: David I

The rise of David I to the papal throne was an accident. When the conclave that "elected" him was in its 25th day of stalemate, Cardinal Rocco was finally able to convince the electors to support Cardinal Albini, the favored candidate of the organized crime figures that were the power behind Rocco. 

The problem is that the name of the elected candidate is listed as Albinizi, who turned out not to be a cardinal but a parish priest named David Albinizi.  Upon taking office, David became friends with the head of his security detail and the nun who saw after his household, but he made little headway with the Curia and the cardinals who wanted a Mafia-friendly pope. 

David survived an assassination attempt, and after mulling abdication decided to stay in office. He doubled down on addressing the corruption inside the Vatican Bank, removing Cardinal Rocco from office due to his involvement. Rocco then tried to blackmail the pope with news of a son, whom the pope fathered before becoming a priest. But it turned out the son, now a rock star, was dating the daughter of Corelli, one of the important Mafia figures trying to take over the Vatican. Corelli planted a bomb to kill the son, but accidentally killed his daughter as well.

David stayed in office long enough to dissolve the Vatican Bank, but was forced to abdicate when the news that he had an affair that resulted in a son went public. This led to the quick election of Cardinal Albini, who it turned out was actually Corelli in disguise. David went to the Sistine Chapel to try to prevent Albini's coronation, but was too late. Now Vittorio I, Albini/Corelli celebrated by firing gunshots into the ceiling - and was killed by falling plaster. 

Thoroughly shaken by the turn of events, the College of Cardinals made the nun who ran David's household the new pope.