Editing Pope Boniface III (section)

==Early career==
[[File:Phocas cons.jpg|thumb|Coin of the [[Emperor Phocas]] ({{reign|602|610}}); Boniface III had an important relationship with him.]]
The son of Iohannes (John) Cataadioce, Boniface was of [[Rome|Roman]] extraction.<ref name="ce">{{CE1913|inline=1 |first=Thomas |last=Oestreich |wstitle=Pope Boniface III |volume=2}}</ref> While serving as a [[deacon]], Boniface impressed [[Pope Gregory I]], who described him as a man "of tried faith and character" and selected him to be [[papal apocrisiarius]] to the imperial court in [[Constantinople]] in 603. This was to be a significant time in his life and helped to shape his short but eventful papacy.<ref name="ce"/>

As ''apocrisarius'', Boniface had the ear of Emperor [[Phocas]] and was held in esteem by him. This proved important when he was instructed by Pope Gregory to intercede with Emperor Phocas on behalf of Bishop Alcison of Cassiope on the island of [[Corcyra]]. Alcison found his episcopate being usurped by [[Bishop]] John of Euria in [[Epirus]], who had fled his home along with his clergy to escape from attacks by the [[Slavs]] and [[Avars (Carpathians)|Avars]]. John, having found himself safe on Corcyra, was not content to serve under Bishop Alcison; instead he set about trying to usurp his episcopal authority. Normally, this behaviour would not have been tolerated, but Emperor Phocas was sympathetic to Bishop John and not inclined to interfere. Alcison appealed to Pope Gregory, who left the problem to Boniface to resolve. In a stroke of diplomatic genius, Boniface managed to reconcile all the parties while still retaining the confidence of the emperor.<ref name="ce"/>