When the Inquisition opened an investigation in an area, inquisitors typically would offer comparatively light penances to those who were willing to admit their own involvement in heresy. Those confessions were used to identify other “heretics,” who were brought before a tribunal. At this trial, the accused received no assistance to defend themselves, they were frequently ignorant of the charges against them, and confessions were often obtained through coercion, confiscation of property, or torture. If the accused were found guilty, the sentence would be announced at an auto-da-fé, an elaborate public spectacle. The accused would then be handed over to civil authorities for the carrying out of the sentence.
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