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Created page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame ==Origin== translation of New Latin ''advocatus diaboli'' *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_century 1760] During...'
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==Origin==
[[translation]] of New Latin ''advocatus diaboli''
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_century 1760]
During the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canonization canonization] process of the Catholic Church, the Promoter of the Faith ([[Latin]]: ''promotor fidei''), popularly known as the ''Devil's advocate'' (Latin: ''advocatus diaboli''), was a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_law_(Catholic_Church) canon lawyer] appointed by Church authorities to argue against the canonization of a candidate. It was this person’s job to take a [[skeptical]] view of the candidate's [[character]], to look for holes in the [[evidence]], to argue that any [[miracles]] attributed to the candidate were [[fraudulent]], and so on. The ''Devil's advocate'' opposed God's advocate (Latin: ''advocatus Dei''; also known as the Promoter of the Cause), whose task was to make the argument in favor of canonization. This task is now performed by the Promoter of Justice (''promotor iustitiae''), who is in charge of examining how accurate is the [[inquiry]] on the saintliness of the candidate.
The office was established in 1587 during the reign of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sixtus_V Pope Sixtus V] and abolished by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II Pope John Paul II] in 1983. This reform changed the canonization [[process]] considerably, helping John Paul II to usher in an unprecedented number of elevations: nearly 500 individuals were canonized and over 1,300 were [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatification beatified] during his tenure as Pope as compared to only 98 canonizations by all his 20th-century predecessors. In cases of [[controversy]], the [[Vatican]] may still seek to informally solicit the [[testimony]] of critics of a candidate for canonization. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aroup_Chatterjee Aroup Chatterjee], the author of the book ''Mother Teresa: The Final Verdict'', testified against the late nun as a so-called devil's advocate. The British-American columnist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens Christopher Hitchens] was famously asked to testify against the beatification of Mother Teresa in 2002, a role he would later describe as being akin to "representing the Evil One, as it were, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_bono_publico pro bono]".
==Definitions==
*1: a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholicism Roman Catholic] official whose [[duty]] is to [[examine]] critically the [[evidence]] on which a demand for beatification or canonization rests
*2: a person who [[champions]] the less accepted [[cause]] for the sake of [[argument]]
==Description==
In common parlance, a '''devil's advocate''' is someone who, given a certain [[argument]], takes a position he or she does not necessarily [[agree]] with, for the sake of [[debate]]. In taking this position, the individual taking on the ''devil's advocate'' role seeks to engage others in an argumentative [[discussion]] process. The [[purpose]] of such process is typically to test the [[quality]] of the original argument and identify [[weaknesses]] in its [[structure]], and to use such [[information]] to either improve or [[abandon]] the original, opposing position. It can also refer to someone who takes a stance that is seen as unpopular or unconventional, but is actually another way of arguing a much more [[conventional]] stance.
[[Category: Law]]
[[Category: Languages and Literature]]
==Origin==
[[translation]] of New Latin ''advocatus diaboli''
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_century 1760]
During the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canonization canonization] process of the Catholic Church, the Promoter of the Faith ([[Latin]]: ''promotor fidei''), popularly known as the ''Devil's advocate'' (Latin: ''advocatus diaboli''), was a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_law_(Catholic_Church) canon lawyer] appointed by Church authorities to argue against the canonization of a candidate. It was this person’s job to take a [[skeptical]] view of the candidate's [[character]], to look for holes in the [[evidence]], to argue that any [[miracles]] attributed to the candidate were [[fraudulent]], and so on. The ''Devil's advocate'' opposed God's advocate (Latin: ''advocatus Dei''; also known as the Promoter of the Cause), whose task was to make the argument in favor of canonization. This task is now performed by the Promoter of Justice (''promotor iustitiae''), who is in charge of examining how accurate is the [[inquiry]] on the saintliness of the candidate.
The office was established in 1587 during the reign of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sixtus_V Pope Sixtus V] and abolished by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II Pope John Paul II] in 1983. This reform changed the canonization [[process]] considerably, helping John Paul II to usher in an unprecedented number of elevations: nearly 500 individuals were canonized and over 1,300 were [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatification beatified] during his tenure as Pope as compared to only 98 canonizations by all his 20th-century predecessors. In cases of [[controversy]], the [[Vatican]] may still seek to informally solicit the [[testimony]] of critics of a candidate for canonization. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aroup_Chatterjee Aroup Chatterjee], the author of the book ''Mother Teresa: The Final Verdict'', testified against the late nun as a so-called devil's advocate. The British-American columnist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens Christopher Hitchens] was famously asked to testify against the beatification of Mother Teresa in 2002, a role he would later describe as being akin to "representing the Evil One, as it were, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_bono_publico pro bono]".
==Definitions==
*1: a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholicism Roman Catholic] official whose [[duty]] is to [[examine]] critically the [[evidence]] on which a demand for beatification or canonization rests
*2: a person who [[champions]] the less accepted [[cause]] for the sake of [[argument]]
==Description==
In common parlance, a '''devil's advocate''' is someone who, given a certain [[argument]], takes a position he or she does not necessarily [[agree]] with, for the sake of [[debate]]. In taking this position, the individual taking on the ''devil's advocate'' role seeks to engage others in an argumentative [[discussion]] process. The [[purpose]] of such process is typically to test the [[quality]] of the original argument and identify [[weaknesses]] in its [[structure]], and to use such [[information]] to either improve or [[abandon]] the original, opposing position. It can also refer to someone who takes a stance that is seen as unpopular or unconventional, but is actually another way of arguing a much more [[conventional]] stance.
[[Category: Law]]
[[Category: Languages and Literature]]