On 40th anniversary of Emanuela Orlandi’s disappearance, Pope voices ‘closeness’ to family
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Pope Francis on Sunday voiced “closeness” to the family of Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old girl who went missing from the Vatican on June 22, 1983, in a sign of solidarity which her relatives had long called for.
“These days mark the 40th anniversary of the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi.
I would like to take advantage of this occasion to express once again my closeness to the family, especially to the mother, and to assure her of my prayers. I extend my remembrance to all the families who feel the pain of a loved one who has died”, Francis said in his Angelus blessing.
Emanuela’s brother Pietro had said he would be sorry if the pope did not mention his sister in his Sunday address.
Pope Francis’s mentioning Emanuela Orlandi on the anniversary is a positive sign, her brother Pietro told reporters.
“It was a positive sign, I did not expect it, I think this is a good step forward”, said Pietro Orlandi, commenting on Pope Francis’ words at the Angelus.
The Vatican has recently pooled resources with Rome prosecutors in a fresh probe into one of Italy’s longest-running mysteries.
Orlandi went missing on 22 June 1983 while returning home after music lessons. Her disappearance is one of Italy’s most notorious unsolved mysteries.
People hold photos of Emanuela Orlandi, a Vatican teenager who disappeared in 1983 aged 15, during a rally to mark the 40th anniversary of her disappearance, along Via della Conciliazione leading to the Vatican, in Rome, Italy, 25 June 2023. EPA-EFE/ANGELO CARCONI
