The Vatican has recently reopened a case that dates all the way back to 1983 – the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl in Rome. Emanuela Orlandi, an Italian citizen, was last seen leaving a music class in Rome before her mysterious disappearance. After almost four decades of speculation, the Vatican has decided to make Emanuela’s case a priority and investigate her disappearance as part of a series of new reforms. The move could bring hope to the Orlandi family, who have long sought justice on behalf of their daughter.

In 1983, Emanuela Orlandi, a 15 year old girl living in Rome, disappeared without a trace. The disappearance received a large amount of publicity over the years, but the case had been dormant for some time until the Vatican recently announced that they would be reopening the investigation. The case garnered international attention, and the family is hopeful that the Vatican’s decision to investigate could finally bring closure after almost four decades of speculation.

Background of Emanuela Orlandis Disappearance

On June 22, 1983, Emanuela Orlandi attended a music class at a Vatican building near the Rome suburb of Balduina. After the music lesson had finished, she was never seen again. Soon after her disappearance, the Orlandi family began organizing search parties, posting flyers, and appealing to their local bishop for help, but their efforts proved fruitless.

Since then, the family has been fighting for justice and demanding answers from the Vatican, who had previously claimed that no evidence of any kind of involvement in Emanuela’s disappearance exists. However, for the first time in 37 years, the Vatican has agreed to reinvestigate the case, citing “new elements” as the primary factor for their decision.

Reaction of the Vatican

The Vatican released a statement on April 4, 2020, announcing their decision to reopen the case. The statement largely attributed their decision to recent developments in the case, as well as “the sensitivity of the Holy See towards all cases of missing persons”. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a former high ranking official of the Vatican, further commented that “investigating such cases is part of being a compassionate and responsible society”.

Though the Vatican’s statement has been seen as a major breakthrough in the case, the Orlandi family is still demanding more information, particularly information regarding the “new elements” that the Vatican cited as the basis for their decision to reopen the case.

Open Questions

The new Vatican investigation has created a renewed sense of hope in the Orlandi family, although they also remain cautiously optimistic. There are still many questions that remain unanswered, such as whether the Vatican will cooperate with Italian law enforcement in the investigation, and what evidence exists that could help to explain Emmanuela’s disappearance.

The public is also questioning the timing of the announcement; the Vatican has maintained that it was made in order to bring peace to the Orlandi family after almost four decades, but skeptics point out that it came at a times when the Catholic Church is facing increasing scrutiny from both the public and government.

Italian Law Enforcement Investigation

In the wake of the Vatican’s announcement, the Italian law enforcement have also said they are reopening their investigation into the disappearance. Italian law enforcement say they have already been working with the Vatican on the case and they have not ruled out the possibility of a wider conspiracy. The police have not revealed any information regarding the case, and any subsequent actions, such as the search for Emanuela, are carried out in secrecy.

Vatican’s Effort at Transparency

The Holy See has made a concerted effort to be open and transparent in this new investigation. The Vatican’s independent commission on cases of missing persons, which was formed in February 2020, has added to the number of personnel who are working on the case and has called for public participation.

The commission is headed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, and includes several lay experts from law enforcement, as well as from the Catholic Church. A spokesperson for the commission said that it is dedicated to bringing “all the parties together” with the goal of finding the truth about what happened to Emanuela.

Theories and Speculations Surrounding Emanuela’s Disappearance

Since Emanuela’s disappearance, many rumors and conspiracy theories have emerged. Some of the most popular theories suggest that Orlandi was kidnapped in order to pressure the Vatican to release Mehmet Ali Agca, the assassin of Pope John Paul II, or that she was abducted as part of a larger operation involving the Vatican Bank.

Other theories point to the Vatican as the source of Emanuela’s disappearance. These theories suggest that she was either kidnapped by another religious order to cover up a financial scandal or used by the Vatican as a bargaining chip in a political dispute.

The disappearance of 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi in 1983 gripped the Italian public and made international headlines. After almost four decades of speculation, the Holy See has announced that they will reopen the case. The Orlandi family and the international community are hopeful that the new investigation is the first step in bringing closure to the tragic case. While there are still many unanswered questions, the Vatican’s effort to open up the investigation and bring in lay experts to assist is seen by many as a step in the right direction.