The Vatican is the world’s smallest country. According to The Fact Life, it was formed in 1929 via the signing of the Lateran Treaty between Italy (i.e., Benito Mussolini) and the Holy See, the Vatican’s governing body. As Smithsonian Magazine notes, the Catholic Church made a ton of money by ransacking New World coffers some 500 years ago. But after centuries of running its economy by means of violent colonization, forced conversions, and good old fashioned theft, the Church in the 20th century was forced to find a new way to fund its growth and extensive network of hidden sex offenders (via The Guardian).

So if it can’t go around stealing all the New World’s gold anymore, just how does the Vatican make money? Well, if you’ve ever stopped by to check out the Sistine Chapel or the Vatican Museums, you’ll know that Vatican City does get some revenue from admission fees, saintly souvenirs, postage stamps, and other faith-based products. But according to Nasdaq, the Vatican has so much money that no one even actually knows how much. The Vatican bank owns hundreds of millions of dollars in equity and keeps more than $20 million of gold locked up at Fort Knox, and it didn’t put up such impressive numbers with gift shop revenues, that’s for sure. Here’s how the Vatican’s economy really works.

The Vatican's questionable investments

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