Michael tells him of the swindle at the hands of corrupt Vatican bank officials Frederick Keinszig, Licio Lucchesi, and Archbishop Gilday.

The character of Lamberto and the film's depiction of the events which led to his murder are based upon one of the conspiracy theories surrounding the sudden death of the real-life Pope John Paul I, Albino Luciani.

Various theories, such as the one outlined in David Yallop's 1984 book, In God's Name, have suggested that John Paul I was murdered because he was planning reforms for the Vatican Bank, in light of the Banco Ambrosiano scandal.

[4] The purported equivalent of the character Keinszig, banker Roberto Calvi, was mired in the scandal and in fact found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in London under dubious circumstances.

Curiously, Calvi had reviewed Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, the basis for the film series, calling it "the only novel which shows how the world really is run.