Bible Dictionaries

1910 New Catholic Dictionary

Advocate of God

The promoter of the cause in a process of beatification or canonization. Advocate of the Church, lay official, in the Middle Ages, charged with the defense of Church temporalities, both in civilcourts and, in later times, in the field; he received in return part of the Church revenues. Under the feudal system the princes appointed the advocates by their own authority, and in many places the office became hereditary, which led to grave abuses.