The element that Dante’s Inferno shows to the reader about the corruption in church is wealth. He believed that the root of all evil (especially corruption) is wealth. Thus the reason for all the money and greed-based areas in Hell.
Before entering to Hell, Dante encounters a "noble castle." The castle is beautiful and peaceful, located in an emerald green meadow. Although this seems out of place, Dante proceeds to tell us what it is. This is the place where "noble heathens" live. In other words, those people who lived a moral and just life, but were born before Christ. As these people did not know Christ, they still bear the burden of the original sin, and therefore, cannot enter Heaven. Nevertheless, as they were righteous people, they also do not deserve to suffer in Hell.
This resembles the situation of children who die unbaptized and are trapped in Limbo. They have not received God's grace and cannot enter heaven. However, as this was through no fault of their own, they do not deserve to be in Hell proper. This reveals that Dante did not believe that the worth of an individual was solely tied to his religion. He believed there were righteous, moral people who did not believe in God.
