Benedict VII

Who he was

Benedict was a Roman, the son of David, and Bishop of Sutri when the clergy and people of Rome elected him in October 974, with the backing of the imperial envoy Sicco. The antipope Boniface VII had fled, but his followers kept up their opposition until Benedict asked the Emperor Otto II for help and was firmly established.

What he is remembered for

He set himself against simony and gave strong support to the monasteries, then the main source of learning and order. At the request of the Christians of Carthage he consecrated a bishop for them. He reigned nearly nine years, though little detail of his work has come down to us.

Sources

• Catholic Encyclopedia (1907): Pope Benedict VII
• New Catholic Encyclopedia: Popes, List of (dates from the Annuario Pontificio 2001)