Siricius Tiburtius (334 - 399)

Born 0334 in Rome, Roman Empire

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Biography

Pope St Siricius Tiburtius is Notable.

Siricius, son of Tiburtius, was born in Rome.^[1][2]

After entering the Church at an early age, he became lector and then deacon during the pontificate of Liberius.^[2]

He was elected pope on the death of Damasus I in December 384. The Vatican isn't sure of the actual date in December, but all popes were consecrated on a Sunday at that time so the dates given by the Vatican are 15 or 22 or 29 December 384.^[1]

He was actively involved in the administration of the Church. He issued the Directa decretal, providing decisions on 15 matters including baptism, penance, church discipline and the celibacy of the clergy. These are the oldest complete set of decretals to have survived.^[2]

Siricius died on 26 November 399 and is buried in the basilica of San Silvestro.

Flocknote Saints in a Year ^[3] tells us:

Born in Rome around 334, Siricius spent time prior to becoming pope as a cleric under his two predecessors, Liberius and Damasus I. He was elected in a landslide in December 384, but unfortunately it was his election that caused St. Jerome to say, “we’re no longer friends” and move to the East for the remainder of his life.

Turns out Jerome had favored a candidate who was more ascetic (a monk, basically), so when Siricius was elected instead, Jerome left and remained hostile to the pope for this and other reasons (for which Siricius was not at fault). It's okay though...they probably reconciled in heaven. Siricius died on November 26, 399.

St. Siricius was a really busy pope. For starters, he condemned the heresy of Priscillianism (a new spin on Gnosticism), sanctioned Jovinian for saying celibacy wasn’t all that great (spiritually speaking), and denounced a bishop in the Balkans for saying Joseph and Mary had a bunch of other kids.

He also was responsible for definitively deciding rules for a bunch of different things in a series of letters (called “decretals”), like celibacy for clergy, baptism, church discipline, and penance - exercising (on purpose) his position of supreme authority over the Church in doing so.

The basilica that stands over the tomb of St. Paul in Rome is there thanks to St. Siricius and the Roman emperor. Built during his pontificate, Siricius dedicated the newly-rebuilt church in 390. Interestingly enough, Siricius’ name can still be seen on one of its pillars, having survived an 1823 fire.

In 397, St. Ambrose, the great archbishop of Milan who had risen to prominence as a solid civil leader prior to his appointment, died after 23 years in office.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Vatican
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Wikipedia Pope Siricius
3. ↑ Flocknote Saints in a Year
   SOURCES (and further reading)
   - John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
   - Pope St. Siricius - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14026a.htm
   - Pope Siricius - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Siricius
   - 390s - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/390s