Corruption in Hell

A devil carrying a soul of the damned in his claws runs toward Dante and Virgil. They watch in horror as the devil throws the sinner into a river of boiling tar. This is the circle of the grafters, those corrupt politicians who abused their authority in office. Florentine politics are evident in this canto where the fraudulent leaders who exiled Dante the poet from his home reside.  Those in position of leadership, particularly in the church evoke the harshest punishments from Dante.  Do our leaders have a moral responsibility to be held to a higher standard?