What was the term used for the act of faith associated with the Spanish Inquisition?

The term "Auto de Fe" refers to the public ceremony of penance or declaration of faith that was associated with the Spanish Inquisition. During these ceremonies, individuals who were accused of heresy and found guilty would often be subjected to public humiliation and punishment, which could include execution. The Auto de Fe was an event where the outcomes of the inquisitorial trials were announced, and it served both as a religious and a state function, reinforcing the power of the Church and the authority of the Inquisition in the lives of the people at that time. This practice emphasized the seriousness with which heresy was treated and aimed to maintain social control through fear and the demonstration of religious adherence.

The other choices do not encapsulate this specific ceremony: "Inquisition trial" refers more generally to the legal proceedings themselves, while "Religious ceremony" is too vague and does not specifically connote the elements of public shaming and punishment that characterized the Auto de Fe. "Proclamation of Faith," while it may suggest an act of professing beliefs, does not fully capture the historical and cultural implications associated with the Spanish Inquisition's approach to enforcing religious conformity.