Rome [Italy], June 26: Pope Francis expressed his sympathies on Sunday to the family of EmanuelaOrlandi, a Vatican citizen who disappeared in central Rome 40 years ago at the age of 15.
"I would like to take this opportunity to express my solidarity to the relatives and in particular the mother and assure them of my prayers," the head of the Catholic Church said after the weekly Angelus on St Peter's Square.
His thoughts were with all families forced to bear the pain of the disappearance of a loved one, the pope said.
Pietro Orlandi, the brother of Emanuela, who was at the time the Vatican's youngest citizen, said: "The taboo surrounding EmanuelaOrlandi has finally been broken." The fact that the pope had mentioned her was "a signal of hope to find out the truth," he said.
Others had gathered with him to remember the girl, who went missing on June 22, 1983 after attending a music lesson.
Before the Angelus, relatives and others gathered in a sit-in to mark 40 years since her disappearance. They held up posters with photos.
"After 40 years, we continue to fight," Pietro Orlandi said.
The body of EmanuelaOrlandi, whose father was a servant of former Pope John Paul II, has never been found.Over the years, her disappearance has become a national obsession, and has been a source of countless conspiracies involving Italian mob, the KGB, and allegations of a Vatican pedophile ring, among many others.
Source: Qatar Tribune