I think it's autodafé. I remember coming acrross this when I read Voltaire's Candide

french is "autodafé"
means act of faith in spanish/portuguese
good luck

The term usually is used as is, sometimes parenthetically translated as “act of faith” (from the Portuguese) as in the following:

http://public.csusm.edu/public/guests/DaMetz/logrono.html

“In Spain the burning of heretics had been on the decline in the late 16th century, and none had taken place since the "auto de fe" (act of faith) at Logroño in 1593.”


http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?ti=00F55000

“Auto-Da-Fé (Portuguese, "act of faith"), public ceremony of execution of persons condemned to death by the Inquisition for heresy and other sins. It was the most impressive of the judicial ceremonies of the Roman Catholic church and was celebrated with great pomp and solemnity. The ceremony consisted of the procession of the condemned to a public place and the delivery of a sermon, followed by execution of the sentence, which frequently meant a burning at the stake. Most of these executions took place in Spain and Portugal and their colonies. The first recorded one was held by the Spanish inquisitor general Tomás de Torquemada in Seville in 1481; the last took place in the early 19th century. Under Torquemada alone, about 2000 people were executed in autos-da-fé. The Americas also had autos-da-fé, with Mexico conducting one as late as 1815. The ceremony generally was held on a Sunday between Whitsunday and Advent, or on All Saints' Day.”

Fuad

"auto-da-fe" (hyphens and w/o accents)

Yes, of course, it is from the Portuguese and not the French...and remains to this day as a sad phrase reflecting the intolerance that once overwhelmed the otherwise "reasonable" forces that controlled a part of the Roman Catholic Church in a time when heresy was flung contemptibly on the doorstep of everyone who sought only to believe innocently and fervently in what was supposed to be the Truth! Que lastima! One can only hope that we have learned something from such horrendous errors!

Pax vobiscum!