In Inferno, which pope is found among the simoniacs in the third bolgia?

In *Inferno*, Pope Nicholas III is found among the simoniacs in the third bolgia of the eighth circle. Dante sees him buried headfirst in a stone hole, with flames burning the soles of his feet.

Simony is the buying or selling of spiritual offices or sacred privileges, a sin named after Simon Magus in the Acts of the Apostles. Dante’s punishment reflects the offense: the simoniacs inverted their relationship with divine things for earthly gain, so they are inverted in the ground while their feet burn.

Nicholas identifies himself through his papal office, his Orsini family connection, and his nepotism. He admits that he used church power to advance his relatives. He also mistakenly thinks Dante is Pope Boniface VIII, whom he expects to arrive and push him farther down.

Boniface VIII is predicted rather than encountered directly in this scene, while Clement V is mentioned as a future simoniac. That distinction makes Nicholas III the answer to the question asking which pope is found there.