Pope Sisinnius.
Pope Sisinnius was the bishop of Rome from 15 January 708 to his death on 4 February, succeeding Pope John VII. He was Syrian and his father was named John, but little else is known of his early life. At the time of his election to the papal throne, Sisinnius suffered from severe gout, leaving him weak. During the course of his twenty-day papacy, he consecrated a bishop for Corsica and ordered the reinforcement of the walls surrounding Rome, the papal capital. The popes of the time were not able to appoint all bishops, nor were they able to effectively govern the Catholic Church: they did not publish encyclicals or catechisms, and were not able to canonize saints or convene ecumenical councils. Like many of his immediate predecessors, Sisinnius was likely not a member of the upper class, but he was respected for his upright, moral disposition and concern for the people of Rome. On his death in Rome, Sisinnius was buried in Old St. Peter's Basilica. He was succeeded by Pope Constantine.
