Asseveration

Asseveration (pronounced uh-sev-uh-rey-shuhn)

(1) A vehement assertion, emphatic affirmation or asseveration; vehemence, rigor.

(2) The act of asseverating.

(3) In the technical rules of grammar, a word of emphasis (a rare form, used only by scholars using the word in the sense it was used in Latin).

1550–1560: From the Middle English asseveration (an emphatic assertion), from the Classical Latin asseverationem (nominative asseveratio) (vehement assertion, protestation), the construct being ad- (to) + severus (serious, grave, strict, austere) which was probably from the primitive Indo-European root segh- (to have, hold) on the model of "steadfastness, toughness".  The Latin assevērātiōn (stem of assevērātiō, from assevērō), (vehement assertion, protestation) was the noun of action from past participle stem of asseverare.  Asseveration is a noun, asseverate & assever are verbs; the noun plural is asseverations.

Asseverations: some stay and some go

Mr Abbott at Cardinal Pell's requiem mass, Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, Australia, 1 February 2023.

Asseverations are sometime heat of the moment things and later (something quickly) withdrawn as calmer thoughts intrude or wiser counsels prevail though not always.  Almost immediately the Holy See announced the death of Cardinal George Pell (1941—2023), noted Roman Catholic layman Tony Abbott (b 1957; Australian prime-minister 2013-2015) felt moved to praise him as “…an ecclesiastical and cultural conservative…” whose “…incarceration on charges the High Court ultimately scathingly dismissed was a modern form of crucifixion…” and his “…prison journals should become a classic: a fine man wrestling with a cruel fate and trying to make sense of the unfairness of suffering.  In his own way, by dealing so equably with a monstrous allegation, he strikes me a saint of our times.  Like everyone who knew him, I feel a deep sense of loss but am confident that his reputation will grow and grow that he will become an inspiration for the ages.”

Mourners queue to enter the cathedral.

So polarizing a figure was Pell that it’s doubtful Mr Abbott’s thoughts much influenced anyone (one way or the other) but there were those who thought he might retreat a little on the matter of good Saint George.  He didn’t and at the cardinal’s requiem mass doubled down and asseverated further, eulogizing Pell as “the greatest man I’ve ever known”, observing he was “one of our country’s greatest sons”, a “great hero” and a “saint for our times”.  To those familiar with the findings of the five-year royal commission into child sexual abuse and the criticism of the legal devices Pell set up in both Melbourne & Sydney which operated to limit the Church’s financial liability in such matters, Mr Abbott’s words must have seemed at least hyperbolic but the former prime-minister made no mention of the commission’s findings, preferring to dwell on those of the High Court of Australia (HCA) which, on appeal, unanimously (7-0) quashed the finding of a jury (upheld on a first appeal) that Pell had committed an act of sexual abuse against a minor.  Not only did Mr Abbott praise the decision to quash the conviction (on the grounds the prosecution had not beyond reasonable doubt proved the offence took place, as described, in the place, at the time alleged) but damned even then charges being laid, saying: “He should not have been charged in the absence of corroborating evidence and should never have been convicted in the absence of a plausible case, as the HCA so resoundingly made plain”, adding the cardinal had been “made a scapegoat for the church itself”.  To clarify just why Saint George it should be, he praised especially Pell’s ability to accept this “modern-day crucifixion” which was the “heroic virtue that makes him to my mind, a saint for our times”.  So the example of the late cardinal might continue to inspire others, Mr Abbott called for “Pell study courses, Pell spirituality courses, Pell lectures, Pell high schools and Pell university colleges, just as there are for the other saints” concluding that: “The ultimately triumphant life of this soldier for truth to advance through smear and doubt to victory should drive a renewal of confidence throughout the Universal Church”.  Presumably, Mr Abbott’s line of Saint George Pell T-shirts, baseball caps and swimming trunks can’t be far off.

Not all who turned up agreed with Mr Abbott.

Harvey Weinstein heading for court.

Some asseverations however quickly are deleted as the reaction makes clear what seemed at the time a good idea might need to be reconsidered.  However, in the age of Twitter and Instagram, totally to delete something is at least difficult and often impossible.  In 2017, as a twitterstorm flared around about the sexual assault allegations against film produced Harvey Weinstein (b 1952), a sympathetic Lindsay Lohan took to Instagram saying she was “feeling bad” for Weinstein and chastised his estranged wife, Georgina Chapman, for announcing she was leaving him.  “He's never harmed me or did anything to me—we've done several movies together” Ms Lohan added, concluding “I think everyone needs to stop—I think it's wrong. So stand up”.  The posts were soon deleted and in an attempt to calm the controversy they engendered, she issued a statement in which she said: “I am saddened to hear about the allegations against my former colleague Harvey Weinstein.  As someone who has lived their life in the public eye, I feel that allegations should always be made to the authorities and not played out in the media”.  In a final public atonement, she added: “I encourage all women who believe Harvey harmed them to report their experiences to the relevant authorities”.  Weinstein was later quoted as saying:  “I’m not doing OK, but I’m trying. I gotta get help, we all make mistakes.  Second chance, I hope.”