Siricius was a native ofRome; his father's name was Tiburtius. Siricius entered the service of the Church at an early age and, according to the testimony of the inscription on his grave, waslector and thendeacon of the Roman Church during the pontificate ofLiberius.[2]
After the death ofDamasus I, Siricius waselected pope unanimously, despite attempts byUrsinus to promote himself. EmperorValentinian II's confirmation of his election stilled any further objections.[3] Siricius was an active pope, involved in the administration of the Church and the handling of various factions and viewpoints within it. In response to a letter from BishopHimerius of Tarragona, he issued theDirecta decretal, containing decisions on fifteen different points, on matters regarding baptism, penance, church discipline and the celibacy of the clergy. His are the oldest completely preserveddecretals.[2]
Siricius helped to mend theMeletian schism in Antioch.[2] The schism stemmed from repeated exiles of Meletius of Antioch byArianist Roman emperors over theological differences. Although Meletius himself had been in sufficiently good standing to lead theFirst Council of Constantinople in 381, his death at the council re-ingited the schism, as Meletius's followers objected to his successor.[4] By the mediation of St. John Chrysostom and Theophilus of Alexandria an embassy, led by Bishop Acacius of Beroea, was sent to Rome to persuade Siricius to recognize Flavian and to readmit him to communion with the Church of Rome.[2]
When the Spanish bishop and asceticPriscillian, accused by his fellow bishops of heresy, was executed by EmperorMagnus Maximus under the charge ofmagic, Siricius—along withAmbrose ofMilan andMartin of Tours—protested against the verdict to the emperor.[3]
Some older sources claim Siricius fought againstManichaeism in Rome, though this is likely a mistake.Louis Duchesne's 19th century version of theLiber Pontificalis claimed that Siricius took severe measures against the Manichaeans in Rome, but Duchesne also notes thatSaint Augustine does not mention any such repression. As Augustine had converted from Manichaeism to Catholicism while living in Rome under Siricius's reign, later authors generally believe these anti-Manichaean efforts were misattributed to Siricius, when they actually occurred under the laterPope Leo I. Confusion may also stem from anti-Manchaean actions undertaken by Siricius's contemporary Western Roman emperors, includingHonorius and Valentinian II.[2]
Siricius is sometimes said to be the first bishop of Rome to style himself pope,[5] but other authorities say the title pope was from the early 3rd century an honorific designation used for any bishop in the West.[6] In the East it was used only for thepatriarch of Alexandria.[6]Marcellinus (d. 304) is the first bishop of Rome shown in sources to have had the title pope used of him. From the 6th century, the imperial chancery ofConstantinople normally reserved this designation for the bishop of Rome.[6] From the early 6th century, it began to be confined in the West to the bishop of Rome, a practice that was firmly in place by the 11th century.[6]
Siricius is also one of the popes presented in various sources as having been the first to bear the titlepontifex maximus. Others that are said to have been the first to bear the title areCallistus I,Damasus I,Leo I, andGregory I. TheOxford Dictionary of the Christian Church indicates instead that it was in the fifteenth century (when theRenaissance stirred up new interest in ancient Rome) thatpontifex maximus became a regular title of honour for popes.[7]
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