Dantes Inferno - Act of Simony Canto XIX
... circle he points out a sinner who is redder than the others - Pope Nicolas III. Nicolas used his position and influence to appoint friends and relatives to religious posts, acquire lands, concentrate political power in the hands of his family, and to arrange the marriages of the ruling families of Europe (pg.247). When the Church gains too much political power the popes lose sight of what is more important by favoring politics over the spiritual commitment they have made. This fundamentally skews the purpose of the Church. The Church must maintain the foundations of religion and cannot become bound by the power of politics. Because Nicolas once held the distinguished honor of being pope, Dante limits his criticism. The pilgrim says “And were it not for the reverence I have for those highest of all keys that you once held in the happy life - if this did not restrain me, I would use even harsher words than these, for your avarice brings grief upon the world, crushing the good, and exalting the depraved (pg.243).” Dante would clearly like to use some more choice words here, but holds back because of the great respect he has for a person who once held the title of pope. When Dante asked Nicolas to make a sound he mistook Dante for his successor in Hell – Pope Boniface VIII. Boniface pushed papal power to its extent and tried to further the Church’s political power. Dante was adamant that there be a separation of Church and state, so Boniface is regarded as one of his greatest political enemies. Boniface gained the support of Charles II because of the ways in which he misused his power. He also plotted the destruction of the “Whites” of which Dante was a member, leading to his eventual exile (pg. 247). Dante places the “simonious” popes in the 8th circle. The reason he places them here is because they have been fraudulent leaders. Nicolas and the others deceived their followers and worshipers because of the greed that overwhelmed their better judgment. Through their deception of the Church and God popes undermine the religious doctrines and codes laid out in the Bible. Dante’s model of Hell contains nine circles each one getting closer to the center of the Earth, in turn closer in the inner sanctum of Hell. Dante places the “simonious” popes in the 8th circle because of the seriousness that this offense carries with it. In Dante’s eyes Nicolas and his peers committed sins so terrible that they deserve to be in the second to last circle of Hell. It is fitting that Nicolas’ soul ends up here because he deceived the Church so greatly. Dante refers to the Bible when he is chastising Nicolas for his actions. He states: “…what was the sum of money that holy Peter had to pay our Lord before He gave the keys into his keeping? Certainly He asked no more than ‘Follow me’ (pg. 243).” In this quote Dante is pointing out that St. Peter did not did not pay Christ to receive the keys of Heaven and Earth, so no modern pope should condone or practice simony. Dante affirms his knowledge of religion, and uses this example to show Nicolas that receiving money in exchange for his holy powers is contrary to the teachings of the Lord and the Bible. A pope should not hold the position if their interest is power and money, that is a role of a political, not religious leader. Dante also reminds Nicolas of how the apostles chose Matthias. After the loss of Judas the apostles needed to fill the vacancy. The apostles chose Matthias because of his virtue, not his riches. They would never dream of accepting payment for a religious position. However, a pope such as Nicolas would have appointed a family member or someone who offered a bribe. Another reference Dante makes is when he blames Constantine as the source for Christianity’s troubles (pg. 244). Constantine was the emperor of Rome and it was him who introduced the Church to the advantages of wealth and power (pg. 249). Dante speaks directly to Constantine and although he is not present, he does this because he is mad because of all the problems that stemmed from Constantine. Without him the pope would not have had the taste of power, nor received monetary rewards. It was at this point that popes’ virtues became unbalanced and lost their justice. Dante’s treatment of simony relates to principles of justice in a number of ways. For instance, a person who practices simony is not using reason. If Nicolas had a balance of his desire for money and his ability for reason, he would have not allowed himself to become corrup...