Pope St. Siricius

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(384-99).

Born about 334; died 26 November, 399, Siricius was a native ofRome; hisfather's name was Tiburtius. Siricius entered the service of theChurch at an early age and, according to the testimony of the inscription on hisgrave, waslector and thendeacon of theRoman Church during the pontificate ofLiberius (352-66). After the death of Damasus, Siricius was unanimously elected his successor (December, 384) andconsecratedbishop probably on 17 December. Ursinus, who had been a rival to Damasus (366), was alive and still maintained his claims. However, theEmperor Valentinian III, in a letter to Pinian (23 Feb., 385), gave his consent to the election that had been held and praised thepiety of the newly-electedbishop; consequently no difficulties arose. Immediately upon his elevation Siricius had occasion to assert his primacy over the universal Church. A letter, in which questions were asked on fifteen different points concerningbaptism, penance, church discipline, and thecelibacy of the clergy, came toRome addressed toPope Damasus by Bishop Himerius ofTarragona,Spain. Siricius answered this letter on 10 February, 385, and gave the decisions as to the matters in question, exercising with full consciousness his supreme power of authority in theChurch (Coustant, "Epist. Rom. Pont.", 625 sq.). This letter of Siricius is of special importance because it is the oldest completely preservedpapaldecretal (edict for the authoritative decision of questions of discipline and canon law). It is, however, certain that before this earlierpopes had also issued suchdecretals, for Siricius himself in his letter mentions "general decrees" ofLiberius that the latter had sent to the provinces; but these earlier ones have not been preserved. At the same time thepope directed Himerius to make known his decrees to the neighbouring provinces, so that they should also be observed there. Thispope had very much at heart the maintenance of Church discipline and the observance of canons by theclergy andlaity. A Roman synod of 6 January, 386, at which eightybishops were present, reaffirmed in nine canons thelaws of theChurch on various points of discipline (consecration ofbishops,celibacy, etc.). The decisions of the council were communicated by thepope to thebishops of North Africa and probably in the same manner to others who had not attended the synod, with the command to act in accordance with them. Another letter which was sent to various churches dealt with the election of worthybishops andpriests. A synodal letter to the Gallicanbishops, ascribed byCoustant and others to Siricius, is assigned toPope Innocent I by other historians (P.L., XIII, 1179 sq.). In all his decrees thepope speaks with the consciousness of his supremeecclesiastical authority and of his pastoral care over all the churches.

Siricius was alsoobliged to take a stand againstheretical movements. A RomanmonkJovinian came forward as an opponent offasts,goodworks, and the higher merit ofcelibate life. He found some adherents among themonks andnuns ofRome. About 390-392 thepope held a synod atRome, at whichJovinian and eight of his followers were condemned and excluded from communion with theChurch. The decision was sent toSt. Ambrose, the greatBishop ofMilan and a friend of Siricius. Ambrose now held a synod of thebishops of upperItaly which, as the letter says, in agreement with his decision also condemned theheretics. Otherheretics including Bishop Bonosus ofSardica (390), who was also accused oferrors in thedogma of the Trinity, maintained thefalse doctrine that Mary was not always a virgin. Siricius and Ambrose opposed Bonosus and his adherents and refuted theirfalse views. Thepope then left further proceedings against Bonosus to theBishop ofThessalonica and the other Illyrianbishops. Like his predecessor Damasus, Siricius also took part in the Priscillian controversy; he sharply condemned the episcopal accusers of Priscillian, who had brought the matter before the secular court and had prevailed upon the usurper Maximus to condemn to death and execute Priscillian and some of his followers. Maximus sought to justify his action by sending to thepope the proceedings in the case. Siricius, however,excommunicated Bishop Felix ofTrier who supported Ithacius, the accuser of Priscillian, and in whose city the execution had taken place. Thepope addressed a letter to theSpanishbishops in which he stated the conditions under which the converted Priscillians were to be restored to communion with theChurch.

According to the life in the"Liber Pontificalis" (ed. Duchesne, I, 216), Siricius also took severe measures against theManichæans atRome. However, as Duchesne remarks (loc. cit., notes) it cannot be assumed from the writings of the converted Augustine, who was aManichæan when he went toRome (383), that Siricius took any particular steps against them, yet Augustine would certainly have commented on this if such had been the case. The mention in the"Liber Pontificalis" belongs properly to the life ofPope Leo I. Neither is it probable, as Langen thinks (Gesch. der röm. Kirche, I, 633), that Priscillians are to be understood by this mention ofManichæans, although probably Priscillians were at times calledManichæans in the writings of that age. The western emperors, including Honorius andValentinian III, issuedlaws against theManichæans, whom they declared to be political offenders, and took severe action against the members of thissect (Codex Theodosian, XVI, V, variouslaws). In the East Siricius interposed to settle the Meletianschism atAntioch; thisschism had continued notwithstanding the death in 381 of Meletius at the Council of Constantinople. The followers of Meletius elected Flavian as his successor, while the adherents of Bishop Paulinus, after the death of thisbishop (388), elected Evagrius. Evagrius died in 392 and through Flavian's management no successor was elected. By the mediation ofSt. John Chrysostom and Theophilus of Alexandria an embassy, led by BishopAcacius of Beroea, was sent toRome to persuade Siricius to recognize Flavian and to readmit him to communion with theChurch.

AtRome the name of Siricius is particularly connected with thebasilica over the grave ofSt. Paul on the Via Ostiensis which was rebuilt by the emperor as abasilica of fiveaisles during the pontificate of Siricius and was dedicated by thepope in 390. The name of Siricius is still to be found on one of the pillars that was not destroyed in the fire of 1823, and which now stands in thevestibule of the side entrance to thetransept. Two of his contemporaries describe the character of Siricius disparagingly.Paulinus of Nola, who on his visit toRome in 395 was treated in a guarded manner by thepope, speaks of theurbici papæ superba discretio, the haughty policy of the Romanbishop (Epist., V, 14). This action of thepope is, however, explained by the fact that there had been irregularities in the election andconsecration of Paulinus (Buse, "Paulin von Nola", I, 193).Jerome, for his part, speaks of the "lack of judgment" of Siricius (Epist., cxxvii, 9) on account of the latter's treatment of Rufinus ofAquileia, to whom thepope had given a letter when Rufinus leftRome in 398, which showed that he was in communion with theChurch. The reason, however, does not justify the judgment which Jerome expressed against thepope; moreover, Jerome in his polemical writings often exceeds the limits of propriety. All that is known of the labours of Siricius refutes the criticism of the caustichermit of Bethlehem. The"Liber Pontificalis" gives an incorrect date for his death; he was buried in thecæmeterium of Priscilla on the Via Salaria. The text of the inscription on his grave is known (De Rossi, "Inscriptiones christ. urbis Romæ", II, 102, 138). Hisfeast is celebrated on 26 November. His name was inserted in the Roman Martyrology byBenedict XIV.

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