Though it collects millions upon millions of dollars per year in aid to the poor, the Vatican reportedly only spends a small fraction of that on actual charity for the impoverished, according to sources inside the Catholic stronghold.

The church allegedly spends a majority of those funds on its administrative budget, with only 10 percent of the money making it to charitable causes. The Holy See operates at a significant budget deficit and uses "Peter's Pence," a specially earmarked charity fund, to fill the major gaps in its budget.

Peter's Pence has faced heightened scrutiny in recent months after Vatican police conducted a raid on the offices of several ranking Holy City officials regarding a disputed property investment in London. Some of the funds for that investment were alleged to have come from Peter's Pence.