Pope Francis Defends St. Pope John Paul II from Allegations in the Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, the Subject in Netflix's Vatican Girl

Pope Francis defended St. Pope John Paul II from allegations in the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi at the Regina Caeli. The brother of Emanuela Orlandi, who disappeared in 1983 at age 15, hinted at serious allegations against Pope John Paul II.

After midday prayers in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis said: "And, certain of interpreting the feelings of the faithful throughout the world, I direct a grateful thought to the memory of Saint John Paul II, the object of offensive and unfounded inferences these past few days."

For 40 years, the case of the disappearance of Vatican citizen Emanuela Orlandi has been causing concern. Last year, Netflix released a movie called "Vatican Girl," which examines the case. (see trailer below)

Pietro Orlandi, Emanuela's older brother, now 66-years-old, was the last in the family to see Emanuela before she disappeared. He has been campaigning for public awareness for decades.  In an Italian television program last week, Orlandi had hinted at serious allegations against John Paul II - putting him in the vicinity of organized crime and sexual abuse. The Polish Pope was in office when Emanuela disappeared without a trace on June 22, 1983.

A battle for interpretation sovereignty broke out between him, his lawyer and the Vatican. Pope Francis intervened on Sunday. Forty years ago, the then 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican employee did not return home from her music class. Since then, there have been rumors and conspiracy theories, most recently in a Netflix series: It's about kidnapping, blackmail, involvement of the mafia or Vatican sex and drug parties. Very little evidence has been discovered so far.

New investigations

The Italian public prosecutor's office has investigated several times and the proceedings were last dropped in October 2015 without result. At the beginning of the year, the new Vatican prosecutor, Alessandro Diddi, began a new investigation on behalf of Pope Francis. Diddi explained in an interview that it was the strong wish of the Pope and Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to create clarity without reservation. He was granted maximum freedom of action, with the condition that nothing was withheld. In this context, the Vatican prosecutor met with Pietro Orlandi and his lawyer last week. The conversation lasted eight hours. Orlandi, he previously explained, wanted to pass on documents and the names of possible witnesses from his own investigations. Among them is said to be a tape which Orlandi played on a talk show after the Vatican meeting. In it, a man who is said to be close to organized crime raises serious allegations against Pope John Paul II, linking him directly to the disappearance of Emanuela.

Pope had to "take a breath"? Orlandi then said he had been told about the Pope's evening excursions. He is said to have sometimes driven around with two Polish "monsignor friends" because he "had to catch his breath" due to the difficult pontificate. And, Orlandi whispers, John Paul II certainly didn't go through the city "to bless houses." Although Orlandi's attorney, Laura Sgro, quickly backtracked and stressed that it was not intended to make any allegations against anyone, outrage soon followed.

The first to speak was the former private secretary of John Paul II, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz. Spoken of "disgraceful insinuations", "false from beginning to end, unrealistic, ridiculous to the point of comedy". In the Orlandi case, John Paul II acted from the start and did not hide anything.

The media director of the Vatican, Andrea Tornielli, published a plea for the Pope, who died in 2005. On about an A4 page, he addresses the reader directly, comparing John Paul II with a well-known, respected deceased relative. Asks how they would feel if their "father or grandfather" were accused on television of going out at night and molesting underage girls along with some "playmates". Tornielli denounces the lack of evidence and circumstantial evidence for these statements and speaks of a "media massacre" that "hurts the hearts of millions of believers and non-believers alike". 

The Vatican and its media were again upset when Orlandi's lawyer pleaded professional secrecy and remained silent during a meeting with the Vatican Attorney on Saturday, where she could have presented evidence of the serious allegations. The lawyer "repeatedly asked publicly" for the meeting, according to a statement by Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. The Vatican media classified their silence as "unexpected and surprising".

Sources: https://www.vaticannews.va/it/vaticano/news/2023-04/dziwisz-dichiarazioni-pietro-orlandi-emanuela-giovanni-paolo-ii.html

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