Pope Benedict. (AFP Photo)

The Vatican has threatened to sue a satirical magazine in Germany over their July edition because it features an altered image of the Pope with a yellow stain on the front of his white robes with the headline, "Hallelujah in the Vatican - the leak is found."

The cover story of the latest issue of Titanic is about the so-called Vatileaks scandal, where internal documents have been made public, including information about the church's tax problems, scandals involving priests and correspondence involving the Pope.

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In a letter to a German lawyer, published by the magazine, Archbishop Angelo Becciu asks the lawyer to take "the necessary legal steps against this publication."

But magazine officials said there must be some mistake.

"Pope Benedict must have misunderstood us," the magazine's editor in chief Leo Fischer said, suggesting the yellow stain could be from a drink, such as lemonade. "It is well known that the Pope is a great fan of the soft drink Fanta."

The magazine said they hope for a personal interview with the Pope to "address the misunderstanding" and they will not comply with a cease-and-desist order from the Vatican.