Vatican revisits mysterious disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi
Italian media report new developments concerning a mysterious case of a 15-year-old girl missing for many years. Vatican City State Prosecutor Alessandro Diddi reopened the investigation last year on the 40th anniversary of the event.
1:16 PM EST, November 14, 2024
Emanuela Orlandi was the daughter of a Vatican employee. The family lived in the papal city, and the children played in the Vatican gardens. The girl was 15 years old when she attended classes at a Rome music school in 1983. She never returned from there.
Former school friends of Emanuela Orlandi are revisiting the case and giving statements to Vatican investigators. A few days ago, Alberto Laurenti, a well-known Italian musician who attended the same music school, was questioned.
"The girl from the Vatican": Investigators revisit the dark mystery of the papal city
Emanuela mentioned him in her diary. However, Laurenti explains that they were only innocently fond of each other. The artist is convinced that "something very serious obviously happened" to his former classmate.
As reported by the newspaper "Il Messaggero," the commission will soon meet with the former head of the Vatican Gendarmerie, Domenico Giani. Plans are also in place to re-interrogate all those who may still have information relevant to the case.
The Vatican investigators' renewed attention to this tragedy is connected to the actions of Emanuela's relatives. It was "also in response to several requests made by the family" - explained Holy See spokesperson Matteo Bruni, announcing the reopening of the investigation.
The enigmatic disappearance of a Vatican citizen has intrigued not only Italians for 40 years. Just two weeks after the teenager's police search went public, a public debate erupted.
Pope John Paul II's words fueled the debate further. The Holy Father stated that he appealed to "the sense of the humanity of those responsible for this matter," regarding Orlandi not returning home.
The next reigning pope, Francis, also commented on the case. He told the family of the missing girl that she "is in heaven."
In 2022, Netflix released a series titled "The Girl from the Vatican". On the 40th anniversary of the disappearance, the Orlandi family's lawyer, Laura Sgrò, stated in an interview that one issue was overlooked.
- It is the issue of pedophilia. From the files, I know that the Orlandi disappearance case was never investigated from this angle - said the lawyer.
