Shock twist in mystery of Vatican girl Emanuela Orlandi, 15, as pal claims she was ‘abused by someone close to the Pope’

THE unsolved mystery surrounding the disappearance of a teenage girl has taken a dramatic twist after it was claimed she was sexually assaulted by a senior Holy See figure. Emanuela Orlandi, 15, the daughter of a Vatican office clerk, vanished as she returned home from a flute lesson in Rome in 1983. The Doe NetworkEmanuela Orlandi, pictured, went missing in 1983 and remains Italy’s biggest mystery[/caption] AlamyPope John Paul II with Pietro Orlandi, brother of Emanuela in 2013[/caption] EPAThe remains of two bodies were found in the Vatican’s Teutonic Cemetery in 2019[/caption] She has never been seen since. Theories trying to explain what happened have swirled for years and have involved Cold War skulduggery, banking scandals, sex trafficking and negotiations over the release of a Turkish gunman who shot and wounded Pope John Paul II. Claims have also been made a mafia boss had ordered her kidnapping in an attempt to blackmail the Vatican. A forthcoming Netflix series called Vatican Girl, which is to be released on October 20, now has another theory to explain what happened and why. Read More on Emanuela Orlandi MYSTERY SOLVED? Cops find bones in hunt for missing 15-year-old in Vatican after tip-off COLD CASE CLUE Bombshell twist in mystery of schoolgirl who vanished after music lesson A woman who was a childhood friend of Emanuela has claimed that in the days before she disappeared, she was sexually molested inside the Vatican by “someone close to the Pope”, who at the time was John Paul II. Knowing the teenager had this secret, a criminal organisation called the Magliana Gang kidnapped her in order to put pressure on the Vatican to repay money they had borrowed to secretly fund Solidarity, the trade union which at the time was fighting communism in the Pope’s homeland of Poland, according to the claim. The Vatican Institute for the Works of Religion, also known as the Vatican Bank, had been accused of sending money to Solidarity. In the documentary, the woman, whose face is obscured, said Emanuela told her she had “a secret to confess” about a week before her disappearance. Most read in The Sun DJ DEATH RIDDLE Radio DJ found dead in woods after being ‘abducted with his girlfriend’ STRICT TO THE RULES Strictly faces major scheduling change as bosses fume at leaking crisis MECK OR BREAK Ryan Thomas' fiancée Lucy breaks silence after pics of him cuddling actress PARIS FURY Our girl left school at 11 - Tyson wanted her to stay but it's the traveller way MY DEAR ANDREW I feel bad for Andrew, says Ghislaine Maxwell in first prison interview pep talk Strictly's Helen Skelton mortified as Gorka discusses 'difficult time' on air Emanuela is said to have told her that as she had been walking through the grounds of the Vatican, where she lived with her family in a grace and favour apartment, she had been “bothered” by a “person very close to the Pope”. Asked whether the harassment was sexual, the friend, now middle aged, told Netflix: “Absolutely, yes.” Emanuela was “scared, even ashamed”, the friend said. The woman broke down in tears and said she had never revealed the information before. When asked if she was afraid of the possible consequences, she replied: “I have always been afraid. It’s a terrible world.” The Emmy award-winning director of the Netflix series Mark Lewis told The Telegraph: “I think she didn’t feel comfortable coming forward before because she feels the weight of the Church and of her own Catholic faith. “The idea that there was paedophilia in the Church was such a taboo subject for so long. And this is even worse – it’s not just paedophilia inside the Catholic Church, it’s on Vatican soil. I think it was a very frightening place for her to go.” Italian journalist Andrea Purgatori, who has followed the case from the start said the Magliana Gang may have used the “sexual secret” as “the ultimate leverage of blackmail” against the Vatican. He said Emanuela may have been “a sacrificial lamb” with the Vatican doing nothing to save her because it did not want her secret to come out. Investigative journalist and an expert on the case Emiliano Fittipaldi said: “If it was a question of money, it would have been better to kidnap a cardinal or a prominent prelate. Why kidnap this girl and not a cardinal? “The only explanation for me is that she had a great secret that could have created an enormous scandal [for the Vatican].” Investigative journalist Emiliano Fittipaldi “The only explanation for me is that she had a great secret that could have created an enormous scandal [for the Vatican].” Emanuela’s family and many Vatican observers claim the Holy See knows exactly what happened to her, how she died and where she is buried. It’s alleged the Holy See has been involved in a cover-up for years, remaining silent and blocking attempts at discovering the truth. The family’s lawyer Laura Sgrò said: “I am absolutely certain that the Vatican knows what happened to Emanuela. “It is time for the Vatican to come clean on exactly what happened and give her family closure. There’s no time to lose.” She added that the key figures in the affair have already died and others are elderly. “We will never stop looking for her.” Emanuela’s brother Pietro Emanuela’s brother Pietro, who has fought to try to find out what happened, said: “It’s the moment to tell the truth. It’s been far too long. “We will never stop looking for her.” He added his 92-year-old mum should at least be allowed to lay flowers on her daughter’s grave, wherever that might be. The Vatican declined to grant any interviews for the four-part Netflix documentary. The family was given some hope in 2019 when they received an anonymous, cryptic letter claiming the schoolgirl is buried in a tomb in the Teutonic Cemetery. The cops discovered two sets of bones in the Vatican, following a tip-off. Remains were discovered in two holes carved out of a large stone that was covered by an old pavement slab. It was hoped Pope Francis might shed some light on the mystery when he was elected in 2013. Read More on The Sun HANG YOUR COAT UP Brits to enjoy 18C Indian Summer and it's set to last until Halloween FESTIVE FUN Home Bargains shoppers are loving this ‘amazing’ £8 cosy Christmas throw But he has only remarked to the family was “Emanuela is in heaven” , without divulging any other information. “It chilled my blood to hear the Pope say Emanuela was dead,” said Pietro Orlandi. “We don’t know if she is alive or dead because there is no evidence. But for a head of state to say that Emanuela was dead meant he knew more than we did.” AP:Associated PressThe Vatican has been accused of a cover-up over Emanuela’s disappearance[/caption] EPAA number of theories have swirled around Emanuela’s disappearance but the mystery has never been solved[/caption]