interpretation

In canto nineteen Dante shows the perversion of the simonanical Popes from his time. These Popes used God's good nature to bring in profit for themselves. So when they baptised it wasn't completly Holy. In turn they are punished with a reverse baptism, instead of being baptised in Holy Water they are soaked with oils and their feet are on fire. When another simonist moves in behind them, they will be flattened inbetween the fissures of rock for the rest of eternity.

If Dante were still alive today and could pick three people to put in canto nineteen they would be Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker, and a friar from the middle ages.
Oral Roberts had a university in Texas. He told people that they had to donate so much money to him by a certain date so that God may come and take him to heaven. When this time came, God did not come, nor did he have his set amount of money. He is placed in this canto because he took money in God's name, but it was for
himself.(8)
Jim Bakker was a T.V. Evangelist. He also had a religious theme park. A majority of the funds he pulled from his followers was for his personal gain.(6)
In the middle ages, small towns did not have churches, so friars would travel from town to town collecting money for confessions. All the money they collected was not for the church, but for themselves.(5)
These three people took money from religious people and from the church for personal benifit. This fits the description of simony, placing them in canto nineteen.

INTERPRETATION

Of Canto 19 - Simonists