During the time that Dante wrote The Divine Comedy, the Catholic Church was very corrupt led by popes that were more interested in making monetary gains rather than being spiritual leaders. One purpose of The Divine Comedy was to express disgust with the Church of the time and to suggest what the reformed Church should look like. One way Dante demonstrates that he intended to present a picture of the ideal Church is by making his final guide Saint Bernard, a “critic of the institutional church and an advocate of ecclesiastical reform” (Botterill, 298). Dante, by creating his own version of the afterlife, is able to emphasize the sins he found to be most heinous in his own structure of Hell and celebrate the virtues he values most in his structure
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While talking to Pope Nicholas III in the Eighth Circle of Hell, Dante becomes frustrated with the simony of the popes and exclaims, “You, shepherds, the Evangelist had noticed when he saw her who sits upon the waters, and realized she fornicates with kings” (Inferno, 19.106-112). Dante compares the Simonist popes to the so-called “Whore of Babylon” from Revelation. The Church is the prostitute that has “fornicated” itself with political leaders and has involved itself with politics. The popes have focused more attention on material goods like gold and silver instead of being the spiritual guide of the people. This comparison by Dante reveals his belief in what will happen to this corrupt Church, as in Revelation “the ten horns and the beast will turn against the prostitute…, then they will eat her flesh and burn the remains in the fire” (Revelation 17:16). Dante hopes that the Church will be reformed by a purification process of burning the corruption of these popes. Dante continues with his invectives, accusing Nicholas III, “you’ve made yourselves a god of gold and silver; how are you different from idolaters, save that they worship one and you a hundred?” (Inferno, 19.112-114). Dante classifies simony not only as a sort of prostitution but also as idolatry. Their greed has caused the popes to betray God. Given the nature of their office in life, this sin is even more egregious because they are meant to be an example of Christ. Instead, they are leading people towards sin by worshipping the false gods of material
While talking to Pope Nicholas III in the Eighth Circle of Hell, Dante becomes frustrated with the simony of the popes and exclaims, “You, shepherds, the Evangelist had noticed when he saw her who sits upon the waters, and realized she fornicates with kings” (Inferno, 19.106-112). Dante compares the Simonist popes to the so-called “Whore of Babylon” from Revelation. The Church is the prostitute that has “fornicated” itself with political leaders and has involved itself with politics. The popes have focused more attention on material goods like gold and silver instead of being the spiritual guide of the people. This comparison by Dante reveals his belief in what will happen to this corrupt Church, as in Revelation “the ten horns and the beast will turn against the prostitute…, then they will eat her flesh and burn the remains in the fire” (Revelation 17:16). Dante hopes that the Church will be reformed by a purification process of burning the corruption of these popes. Dante continues with his invectives, accusing Nicholas III, “you’ve made yourselves a god of gold and silver; how are you different from idolaters, save that they worship one and you a hundred?” (Inferno, 19.112-114). Dante classifies simony not only as a sort of prostitution but also as idolatry. Their greed has caused the popes to betray God. Given the nature of their office in life, this sin is even more egregious because they are meant to be an example of Christ. Instead, they are leading people towards sin by worshipping the false gods of material