In defining denunciation, a distinction must be maintained between the legal-historical tradition and the social-historical usage dominant today. In a legal sense, denunciation meant no more than a judicial accusation (Latin, denunciatio). Its roots lie in the new inquisitorial system (Inquisition, trial by) developed by Pope Innocent III and confirmed by the Fourth Lateran Council; the goal of this system was to make it possible to conduct judicial investigations wit…