- For the 1997 film, see The Devil's Advocate.
In the old process of canonization by the Roman Catholic Church, the Promoter of the Faith (Latin Promotor Fidei), or Devil's Advocate (Latin advocatus diaboli), was a canon lawyer appointed by the Church to argue against the canonization of the proposed candidate. The office was established in 1587 and abolished by Pope John Paul II in 1983. This streamlining process has allowed him to canonize nearly 500 individuals and beatify over 1,300, as opposed to 98 canonizations by his 20th-century predecessors.
The title advocatus diaboli, which is unofficial, would perhaps be more accurately translated into English as the Devil's lawyer.
The term has come to mean persons who argue a position that they do not necessarily believe in, simply for the sake of arguing; or to present a counterargument for a position they do believe in to another debater. This process tests the quality of the original argument and identifies weaknesses in its advocate.
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