There is a sort of contrast between the fact that religious leaders seem to want power as opposed to what you would think would motivate a religious person. I.e. not lust for power, but rather to sit and learn Torah and privately serve God. While lust for power is assumed for politicians, it is not clear to me why one with supposed religious motivation to serve God would be trying to gain power and control over others. It is interesting to contrast this with the book of Meditation of Marcus Aurelius where he is constantly bemoaning his terrible misfortune of being born to be the emperor of the Roman Empire. This book is his private musings that was never meant to be shared. He ordered his servant to burn it after he would die, but by some odd circumstance of fate, one of his servants took a look at it, and  had compassion on all subsequent generations of mankind, and saved it from the flames. [Incidentally, this is Marcus Aurelius Antonius, the friend of Yehuda the Prince, the author of the Mishna.]

Religious leaders are often simply con men. But also many get their powers from the sitra achra (dark side).