HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE ON CASE OF VATICAN GIRL MISSING 40 YEARS

HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE ON CASE OF VATICAN GIRL MISSING 40 YEARS 

In response to questions received by the Office of the Promoter of Justice regarding the news that has appeared in the press in recent days regarding the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, specified that:

The Office of the Promoter of Justice is actively cooperating with the competent Italian Authorities. Precisely in this spirit, last April 19, the Vatican magistrates confidentially handed over to Italy, covered by the secrecy of the investigation, the available documentation relating to the case, including that collected in the previous months during the investigation activity.

The Holy See shares the family’s desire to get to the truth about the facts and, to this end, hopes that all investigative hypotheses are explored.

With regard to news involving a relative of Emanuela, it should be noted that the correspondence in question expressly indicates that there has been no violation of the sacramental seal of Confession.”

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If you are not familiar with the latest developments in this case: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/uncle-investigated-missing-vatican-teen-case-report-3622071

Vatican sends leads into missing ‘Vatican girl’ to Rome prosecutors | Catholic News Agency

POPE SAYS BREATHING “STILL NOT GOOD” – POPE SENDS CARDINAL KRAJEWSKI TO UKRAINE FOR 6TH TIME – SR. LUCIA, FATIMA VISIONARY, DECLARED VENERABLE – VATICAN DELIVERS EVIDENCE IN ORLANDI CASE TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES

A fascinating read and good summary of the synod document: Synod working doc aims to unite Catholics, but may alienate conservatives | Crux (cruxnow.com)

Re: the story below on the pope having difficulty breathing: Vatican News mentioned this in several news stories it published today, including one on the Holy Father’s meeting with ROACO: “Receiving ROACO members in the Vatican on the morning of Thursday, 22 June, Pope Francis handed them his prepared remarks and explained he would not be reading his discourse because he is still having difficulty breathing after the general anaesthesia he underwent during surgery on 7 June.”

POPE SAYS BREATHING “STILL NOT GOOD”

Gives one speech today, but hands out the text for a 2nd one

(I. Media for Aleteia) – Pope Francis says he is still suffering from the effects of his recent anaesthesia. He reported this when receiving members of the meeting of the Works of Aid to the Oriental Churches (ROACO), on June 22, 2023 at the Vatican, I.MEDIA found. Two weeks after his operation for an abdominal hernia with risk of occlusion, the Pope explained that his breathing was “not good.”

Since his return on June 16 from the Gemelli hospital, where he underwent surgery on June 7, the 86-year-old Pontiff has resumed the Sunday Angelus, as well as his audiences. Yesterday, June 21, he received the Brazilian president, and on June 20, the Cuban president. However, the general audience on Wednesday June 21 was cancelled ahead of time, to allow him to continue his convalescence.

But this morning, the Pope showed signs of fatigue. After a first speech, which he read to Assumptionist religious, he declined a second address to ROACO, contenting himself with handing it over to the participants. “I’m still under the effects of anesthesia. My breathing is not good,” confided the Argentine Pontiff.

During this brief exchange, the 266th Pope then instructed Msgr. Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, to pass on his pre-prepared speech.

“I’m still alive,” he added, however, to a participant who asked how he was doing.

The Pope, who has been missing part of one lung since he had a serious infection as a youth, has already had respiratory problems this year. On March 29, he was rushed to Gemelli, where doctors diagnosed him with “infectious bronchitis.” He underwent antibiotic treatment and left hospital on April 1.

He later confided that it was acute pneumonia. “If we had waited a few more hours, it would have been more serious,” he told Mexican television.

POPE SENDS CARDINAL KRAJEWSKI TO UKRAINE FOR 6^TH TIME

A communique from the papal almoner’s office says Pope Francis is sending Cardinal Konrad Krajewski to Ukraine for the 6^th time, bearing urgent medical supplies and prayers from the Holy Father. This mission is evangelical and underlines the closeness of Pope Francis to the tormented Ukraine.

The cardinal “will head to the Kherson area where, following the destruction of the dam, the innocent population is in great difficulty and many people have lost their lives. His mission is to be with the people, pray with them and bring an embrace and concrete support from the Pope.

Vatican photo –

“The Almoner will travel to Ukraine with a car loaded with the most urgent medicines and thus have the opportunity to visit, along the way, various religious communities, the Catholic parishes of the Byzantine and Latin rites as well as the Orthodox.

“In these days, there will also be a second truck full of food (mostly received from Korea), medicines and health aids which will be delivered to the areas most affected by the dam explosion.”

SR. LUCIA, FATIMA VISIONARY, DECLARED VENERABLE

Carmelite Sister Lucia de Jesus Rosa dos Santos, who, along with her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto witnessed a series of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima, has been declared Venerable by the Church.

Sr. Lucia (R) –

The decree recognizing Sr Lucia’s heroic virtues was promulgated on Thursday with the approval of Pope Francis.

In 1916, Lucia and her two cousins reported being visited by an Angel in the area of Fatima, Portugal. The following year, beginning on May 13, the children claimed to receive a series of apparitions from the Blessed Virgin Mary, which culminated six months later with the famous “Miracle of the Sun” that was witnessed by tens of thousands of people.

After the untimely death of her cousins, who died a few years later due to Spanish flu, Sister Lucia remained the sole custodian of the message entrusted to her by Our Lady, which she transcribed, at the instigation of the Bishop of Leiria, José Alves Correia da Silvia, into four documents between 1935 and 1941.

A later document, dated 1944, contained the so-called “third secret,” was sent to Rome and opened for the first time in 1960. St John Paul II, who had a special devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, allowed the secret to be published in 2000.

Along with Sister Lucia, four other Servants of God saw their causes advanced on Thursday. Thursday’s decree also recognises the martyrdom of twenty people killed out of “hatred of the faith” in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.

Sister Mary Lange, who left her native Cuba for the United States because of racial discrimination, founded the Congregation of the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore in 1829. The order is dedicated to school education.

For full story: Fatima visionary Sr Lucia declared Venerable – Vatican News

VATICAN DELIVERS EVIDENCE IN ORLANDI CASE TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES

In a statement to journalists, the Office of the Promoter of Justice says evidence found in Vatican institutions and gained from interviews with former officials has been turned over to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome.

Vatican News

On the 40th anniversary of the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi on June 22, 1983, the Promoter of Justice of Vatican City State, Alessandro Diddi, has stated that he has forwarded the acts of his office’s investigation to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome.

In a statement made public by the Holy See Press Office in response to journalists’ questions, Diddi’s office reports that “in recent months this office has collected all the evidence available in the various institutions of the Vatican and the Holy See, while also seeking evidence through conversations with the persons in charge of certain offices at the time of the events.”

Lines of further investigation

Vatican investigators proceeded “to examine the material, confirming certain lines of investigation worthy of further investigation,” the statement continues, noting that “in recent weeks” all the relevant documentation has been transmitted “to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome, so that the latter may examine it and proceed in the direction it deems most appropriate.”

Thursday’s statement concludes with the commitment that the Promoter “will continue his activities in this direction in the coming months,” while expressing his closeness to Emanuela’s family in their grief, “aware of the suffering one feels for the disappearance of a relative.”

 

VATICAN CLOSES EMANUELA ORLANDI CASE: BONES IN TEUTONIC CEMETERY NOT HERS – WHY DO POPES WEAR WHITE?

FYI:

Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said in a statement this morning that, “a further confirmation of positivity to Covid-19 among the employees of the Holy See arrived today. He is a person who has had symptoms since the first half of March and was therefore in solitary confinement at home. Before returning to work as a precaution, the employee was tested and tested positive for the disease. He is now again in quarantine at his home.”

Click here to access this week’s English language edition of L’Osservatore Romano: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/osservatoreromano/pdfreader.html/ing/2020/05/ING_2020_018_0105.pdf.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NewsletterOR-EN

VATICAN CLOSES EMANUELA ORLANDI CASE: BONES IN TEUTONIC CEMETERY NOT HERS

A statement released by the Holy See Press Office on Thursday said, in part, “The proceeding relative to the alleged entombment of Emanuela Orlandi’s remains in the Vatican’s Teutonic Cemetery has been closed by the Single Judge of Vatican City State who had received the request from the Office of the Promoter of Justice.”

The statement also included information regarding the human remains found in the ossuaries adjacent to the two tombs that were opened in July 2019 that revealed they dated further back in time before Emanuela Orlandi’s disappearance. Emanuela was the daughter of a Holy See employee whose family lived in Vatican City. She never returned home from a music lesson on June 22, 1983, and no indication of her whereabouts, alive or dead, has ever been found.

The statement concluded: “The order filed allows the Orlandi family to proceed privately with any further investigations on the same fragments already found, which are kept sealed in containers in the offices of the Vatican Gendarmerie.”

WHY DO POPES WEAR WHITE?

I was once asked in the Q&A portion of my EWTN weekend radio show, Vatican Insider, “Why do Popes wear white?”

I knew that for the first centuries, there was no set “institutional” wear for Popes but did not know when or why wearing white became the tradition so I did some research and the answer is related to today’s saint, St. Pius V!

You see, Pius V was the first Dominican ever to be elected to the papacy and he said that, since the day he first wore the white Dominican habit, he had never worn anything else and, as Pope, would continue to wear it. At first there was consternation but then people realized the Pope would be a standout among prelates and easier for the faithful to see in crowds!

Born Antonio Ghislieri in January 1504, he took the name Michele Ghislieri when he became a Dominican. He was elected to the papacy on January 8, 1566 and took the name Pius V. As Pope he was also ruler of the Papal States until his death on May 1, 1572. Buried in St. Mary Major, he was beatified by Clement X in 1672, and canonized by Clement XI in 1712.

Here’s a great rosary story linked to Pius V courtesy of CNA:

“(Pius) worked hard to unite the Christian armies against the Turks, and perhaps the most famous success of his papacy was the miraculous victory of the Christian fleet in the battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. The island of Malta was attacked by the Turkish fleet and nearly every man defending the fortress was killed in battle. The Pope sent out a fleet to meet the enemy, requesting that each man on board pray the Rosary and receive communion. Meanwhile, he called on all of Europe to recite the Rosary and ordered a 40-hour devotion in Rome during which time the battle took place. The Christian fleet, vastly outnumbered by the Turks, inflicted an impossible defeat on the Turkish navy, demolishing the entire fleet.

“In memory of the triumph, he declared the day the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary because of her intercession in answering the mass recitation of the Rosary and obtaining the victory. He has also been called ‘the Pope of the Rosary’ for this reason.”

I subscribe to Franciscan Media for their Saint of the Day emails that arrive with both a print and audio story. Click here for a brief story of Pius VI: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr30.mp3

For CNA story: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-pius-v-pope-452

(And just a reminder, speaking of the rosary: Tomorrow, May 1, Pope Francis has asked us, if we do not do so already, to pray the rosary daily, be it alone or with family members. In addition, tomorrow May 1, the U.S. bishops will join the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to renew the consecration of the two nations to the care of our Blessed Mother. The re-consecration will take place at 12 noon, California time (3 p.m. ET) ive from Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles with Archbishop Jose Gomez, archbishop of Los Angeles and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, celebrating.

VATICAN INSIDER AND A TALE OF INTRIGUE – VATICAN CITY TO IMPLEMENT SYSTEM FOR REPORTING ABUSE

I had a fun experience this afternoon as I was searching for a photo or two of the work done last month in the Vatican’s Teutonic cemetery to see if the remains of Emanuela Orlandi might be buried there as suggested last summer in an anonymous note to the Orland family. As you will read below, I am dedicating a special on VI this week to the missing teenager and I wanted a picture for that article.

I had not saved the Vatican photos I used in my July stories so I searched Google for images under “Teutonic cemetery, vaticannews” and, as I scrolled through the many photos, I found some of my own photos of the cemetery, and Google cited “Joan’s Rome”!
https://www.google.it/search?safe=active&hl=en&biw=1097&bih=489&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=nGhEXZrqEZK6kwXAl724Bw&q=teutonic+cemetery%2C+vaticannews&oq=teutonic+cemetery%2C+vaticannews&gs_l=img.3…34822.37438..38264…0.0..1.515.1635.10j1j0j1j0j1……0….1..gws-wiz-img…….0j0i5i30j0i8i30.UIDsywDxPUs&ved=0ahUKEwiaqOup0eTjAhUS3aQKHcBLD3cQ4dUDCAY&uact=5#imgrc=ZMLJQl26D2j-UM:

VATICAN INSIDER AND A TALE OF INTRIGUE

In a departure from my format of an interview at the end of Vatican Insider each week, this week I prepared a special for VI on the deepening mystery of the Emanuela Orlandi disappearance – a mystery that has stumped a family, Vatican City officials and Italian officials for 36 years, a mystery that deepened with some events this summer. So tune in for that tale!

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at http://www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on http://www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: https://www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive (write Vatican Insider where it says Search Shows and Episodes)

VATICAN CITY TO IMPLEMENT SYSTEM FOR REPORTING ABUSE

Vatican City State is to implement a system for reporting crimes and cases of negligence regarding the abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by the end of the year.
By Vatican News

The Cardinal Vicar of Vatican City State announced Tuesday that “a public, permanent, and easily accessible system for reporting crimes and negligence in the area of child abuse and vulnerable adults” will be put in place by the end of the year.

On the same day, Cardinal Angelo Comastri sent a letter to the heads of all Vatican Dicasteries and associated spiritual assistants.

According to the Osservatore Romano, the missive contained details on the procedure for bringing to light any information and accusations of abuse.

Earlier this year, Pope Francis promulgated new rules for the protection of minors within Vatican territory and the Roman Curia, as well as throughout the universal Church, both of which took effect on 1 June.

Contact Person
The Osservatore Romano reports that the new system will be gradually integrated with existing measures, such as those identified in the Guidelines for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons for the Vicariate of Vatican City.

The Guidelines created a “Contact Person” for anyone who has “information or suspicions that a minor or vulnerable adult is at risk of abuse or has suffered it in connection with the pastoral activities of the Vicariate, along with any act of negligence on the part of the Authorities.”

Msgr. Robert Oliver, the Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, was appointed as the contact person in June.

VATICAN INSIDER, CHARISMATICS AND CHARIS – EMANUELA ORLANDI: HOLY SEE’S DESIRE FOR CLARITY

VATICAN INSIDER, CHARISMATICS AND CHARIS

Join me on Vatican Insider this weekend for Part II of my conversation with Tammie Stevens of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal as we talk about the newly inaugurated CHARIS – Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service – an institution willed by Pope Francis and linked to the Vatican. Who are Charismatics? What is a charism? What is the role of the Holy Spirit in this movement. Tammie helps us clear up some misconceptions about Charismatics. She just finished a period of work in Rome for the movement and talks about that as well.

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at http://www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on http://www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: http://www.ewtn.com/multimedia/audio-library/index.asp (write Vatican Insider where it says Search Shows and Episodes)

EMANUELA ORLANDI: HOLY SEE’S DESIRE FOR CLARITY

The investigation at the Teutonic Cemetery inside the Vatican shows the Holy See’s closeness to the Orlandi family
Andrea Tornielli – Vatican City

On the morning of Thursday, July 11, all those present at the opening of the two tombs in the Teutonic Cemetery inside the Vatican were surprised to discover they were empty. There were no human remains, no traces of coffins or urns.

As is known, the Vatican judiciary agreed to carry out this investigation upon the wishes of the family of Emanuela Orlandi, the fifteen-year-old daughter of a Vatican employee who mysteriously disappeared in the centre of Rome in June 1983: an anonymous tip had in fact indicated one of the old tombs of that cemetery as a possible burial place for the remains of the young woman. Two tombs were opened because the Promoter of Justice of Vatican City State, Gian Piero Milano, wanted to verify that that adjacent one, also adorned by an angelic image, contained no remains that could be attributed to the missing girl.

The decision to open both tombs, in the presence of an expert appointed by Emanuela’s family, working according to the most advanced technical standards, is a sign of particular attention and human and Christian closeness to the Orlandi family. It is certainly not – as has been said – an admission by the Vatican of a possible involvement in the concealment of a corpse.

Research has shown that in the said tomb and in the adjacent one, there were no remains of Emanuela. Therefore, the investigation had a foreseeable negative outcome. As was revealed, under the two tombs inscribed with the names of two princesses who both died in the nineteenth century, no remains of human skeletons were found, but only a large empty underground space, presumably closed in the 1960s, without tombstones, inscriptions or other burials.

The fact that the two tombs were devoid of remains has triggered new questions about the resting place of the two noblewomen who died two centuries ago. However, the attempt to shift the focus, aiming to involve the Holy See as regards the whereabouts of those remains is absolutely misleading. The investigation wasn’t about the two princesses. It was to find the remains of a 15-year-old girl who died in 1983. It is therefore worth repeating, first of all, that the investigative hypothesis taken into consideration by the magistrate concerned the possible discovery of the remains of Emanuela Orlandi. And no trace of these remains was found.

Having said this, the Vatican’s judiciary decided to continue its investigation into documents regarding the architectural works carried out in the cemetery area which took place in two phases, the last of which was in the mid-1960s with the construction of the new building of the Teutonic College. The tombs of the two princesses are right next to the supporting wall of this building, and therefore it is probable that during the digging of the foundations the remains may have been moved elsewhere. Possibly, further investigations will be carried out on this front as well.

The accuracy of the investigations and technical surveys, the decision to have DNA tests done on the eventual remains, the technical expertise with which the operations were carried out under the guidance of the Promoter of Justice and the coordination of the Vatican’s Gendarmerie Corps led by Domenico Giani, clearly demonstrate the will of the Holy See to take the family’s request seriously. This desire was implemented despite the fact that the request stemmed from an anonymous tip, and it has been impossible for the Vatican judiciary to verify its reliability.

VINCENT LAMBERT, A MARTYR, VICTIM OF MEN’S MADNESS – NO REMAINS FOUND IN VATICAN CEMETERY TOMBS – EMANUELA ORLANDI: THE 36- YEAR- OLD MYSTERY CONTINUES

VINCENT LAMBERT, A MARTYR, VICTIM OF MEN’S MADNESS

The Vatican this morning released a statement on the death in France of Vincent Lambert: “We received the news of Vincent Lambert’s death with pain. We pray that the Lord will welcome him into His house and we express closeness to his loved ones and to those who, up to the end, committed themselves to assist him with love and dedication. Let us remember and reiterate what the Holy Father said when he spoke of this painful affair: ‘God is the only master of life from the beginning to the natural end and it is our duty to remember this always and not to give in to the throwaway culture’.”

Vincent Lambert became a quadriplegic after a motorbike accident 11 years ago and has been in a persistent vegetative state since then. Symbolizing the right to life debate in France – and for some, the right to die – Lambert’s feeding tubes were removed by doctors against the wishes of family.

Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments, tweeted today: En ce triste jour, je prie pour le repos éternel de l’âme de Vincent Lambert, mort en martyr, victime de la folie effrayante des hommes de notre temps. Je prie pour sa famille et en particulier pour ses parents, si courageux, si dignes. N’ayons pas peur. Dieu veille. +RS (On this sad day, I pray for the eternal repose of the soul of Vincent Lambert, who died as a martyr, a victim of the frightful madness of the men of our time. I pray for his family and especially for his parents, so brave, so worthy. Do not be afraid. God watches. RS +) https://twitter.com/Card_R_Sarah

A tweet from the Pontifical Academy for Life in both French and Italian: Monsignor Paglia and all the @PontAcadLife pray for the family of #VincentLambert, for the doctors, for all the people involved in this affair. The death of #VincentLambert and his story are a defeat for our humanity. https://twitter.com/PontAcadLife

NO REMAINS FOUND IN VATICAN CEMETERY TOMBS

Holy See Press Office interim director Alessandri Gisotti issued the following statement at noon today:

“The operations at the Campo Santo Teutonico were concluded at 11.15 am within the scope of the investigative tasks of the Orlandi case. Results of the research were negative: no human remains or funerary urns were found. The careful inspection of the tomb of Princess Sophie von Hohenlohe has unearthed a large underground compartment of about 4 meters by 3.70, completely empty. Subsequently the opening operations of the second tomb-sarcophagus took place, that of Princess Carlotta Federica di Mecklemburgo. Inside it, no human remains have been found. The family members of the two Princesses were informed of the results of the research.

“The staff of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, professor Giovanni Arcudi and his staff, in the presence of a trusted expert appointed by the lawyer of the family of Emanuela Orlandi, collaborated with the investigations. The Orlandi family’s lawyer, Laura Sgrò, and Emanuela’s brother, Pietro Orlandi, were present. The Promoter of Justice of the Tribunal of the Vatican City State, Gian Piero Milano, and his Assistant Alessandro Diddi, together with the Commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie Corps, Domenico Giani, followed all phases of the operation.

“For further details, documentary checks are underway concerning the structural interventions that have taken place in the area of the Campo Santo Teutonico, in a first phase at the end of the nineteenth century, and in a second more recent phase between the 1960s and 1970s.

“At the end of the work, we would like to reiterate that the Holy See has always shown attention and closeness to the suffering of the Orlandi Family and in particular to Emanuela’s mother. Attention demonstrated also in this occasion in accepting the specific request of the family to check the Campo Santo Teutonico (for alleged remains).”

Earlier this morning he had released the following statement:

“At 8.15 am this morning, after a prayer led by the Rector of the Teutonic College in front of the two sepulchres, regular operations began at the Campo Santo Teutonico (Teutonic cemetery) as part of the investigative aspects of the Orlandi case. At the moment, it is not possible to predict how much time will be needed for completing such operations that involve about fifteen people.

“In particular, the staff of the Fabbrica di San Pietro is operating for the opening and closing of the tombs, while overseeing the discovery will be done by Prof. Giovanni Arcudi and his staff, in the presence of a trusted expert appointed by the lawyer of the Orlandi family. Present were the Promoter of Justice of the Tribunal of the Vatican City State, Prof. Gian Piero Milano, his Deputy, Prof. Alessandro Diddi, and the Commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie Corps, Domenico Giani.

”As indicated in the decree of the Vatican’s Promoter of Justice, the operations concern the “Tomb of the Angel” of Princess Sophie von Hohenlohe and the adjacent tomb of Princess Carlotta Federica di Mecklemburgo. Although the grave indicated by the lawyer of the Orlandi Family is, in fact, that with the Angel who holds in his hands an open book with the inscription “Requiescat in pace”, the Promoter of Justice, in order to avoid possible misunderstandings about what the indicated grave could be, ordered the opening of both tombs as they are neighboring tombs and both with similar niches.

”For procedural reasons and in accordance with the secrecy of the investigation, the identity of the relatives of the two buried princesses will not be disclosed; obviously these are descendants who have been informed of the operations and who, for the sake of the truth, have guaranteed their complete availability and collaboration with the Holy See and in particular with the Office of the Promoter of Justice.

EMANUELA ORLANDI: THE 36- YEAR- OLD MYSTERY CONTINUES

Since the July 2 announcement by the Vatican that two tombs would be opened on July 11 in its Teutonic Cemetery to ascertain whether or not the remains of Emanuela Orlandi were in one of the tombs, the Vatican has been providing news and background stories, including an interview with the forensic anthropologist commissioned by the Vatican judiciary to examine findings and take samples for DNA testing following the opening of two tombs in the Vatican on Thursday.

Emanuela Orlandi was the daughter of a Vatican employee who vanished mysteriously 36 years ago on her way to a music lesson.

Now we know that today’s findings will not give closure to the many people involved – those workers assembled to open the tombs, the lawyers of the Orlandi family and the families or descendants of the people whose names were on the grave headstones opened today, members of the Orlandi family, Vatican security personnel, witnesses, etc.

The announcement on July 2 of the opening of the tombs said the decision to do so was part of one of the files opened following a request by the family of Emanuela Orlandi who, in recent months, had reported the possible concealment of her body in the small cemetery located within the territory of the Vatican State.

That press office announcement also stated: “The decision comes after a phase of investigations during which the Office of the Promoter – with the help of the Gendarmerie Corps – carried out investigations aimed at reconstructing the main judicial stages of this long and painful and complex case. It should be remembered that for legal reasons the Vatican investigating authority has no jurisdiction to investigate Emanuela Orlandi’s disappearance in Italy; investigations which, moreover, have been conducted by Italian investigators – from the earliest stages – with scrupulosity and professional rigor. Therefore, the Vatican initiative concerns only the ascertainment of the possible burial of the body of Emanuela Orlandi in the territory of the Vatican State.”

Whatever else can be done to discover what happened to Emanuela Orlandi after more than three decades of various leads have been exhausted is now in the hands of Italian authorities and possibly any police and investigative authorities in other countries with whom Italian officials have been in touch.

BREAKING NOW: TOMBS IN VATICAN CEMETERY TO BE OPENED AS SEARCH CONTINUES FOR MISSING VATICAN WOMAN

BREAKING NOW: TOMBS IN VATICAN CEMETERY TO BE OPENED AS SEARCH CONTINUES FOR MISSING VATICAN WOMAN

Statement from Holy See Press Office interim Director Alessandro Gisotti:

“The Office of the Promoter of Justice of the Vatican City State Court, in the persons of the Promoter Professor Gian Piero Milano and his deputy, Professor Alessandro Diddi, by a decree of June 27, 2019, has ordered the opening of two tombs present in the Teutonic Cemetery. The decision is part of one of the files opened following a complaint by the family of Emanuela Orlandi who, as is known, in recent months has, among other things, reported the possible concealment of her body in the small cemetery located within the territory of the Vatican State.

“The operation will take place next July 11 in the presence of the lawyers of the parties (as well as the relatives of Emanuela Orlandi and relatives of the people buried in the graves concerned), with the technical assistance of Professor. Giovanni Arcudi, of the Commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie, Domenico Giani, and of the staff of the Gendarmerie. The judicial provision foresees a complex organization of men and means (workers from the Fabbrica di San Pietro and personnel from the COS, the Operative Security Center of the Vatican Gendarmerie, for the operations of demolition and restoration of the stone slabs and for the documentation of the operations are involved)

“The decision comes after a phase of investigations during which the Office of the Promoter – with the help of the Gendarmerie Corps – carried out investigations aimed at reconstructing the main judicial stages of this long and painful and complex case. It should be remembered that for legal reasons the Vatican investigating authority has no jurisdiction to investigate Emanuela Orlandi’s disappearance in Italy; investigations which, moreover, have been conducted by Italian investigators – from the earliest stages – with scrupulosity and professional rigor. Therefore, the Vatican initiative concerns only the ascertainment of the possible burial of the body of Emanuela Orlandi in the territory of the Vatican State.

“In any case, the complex expert appraisals set for July 11th are only the first phase of a series of pre-planned investigations which, after the opening of the tombs and the collection and cataloging of the remains, will lead to the expert reports to establish the dating of the findings and for DNA comparison.”