Emanuela Orlandi disappeared from near the Vatican in 1983 and while the popes and curia wish the story would go away, it lingers on. It is captivating to say the least and every so often it pops up again in the news. Netflix recently released a documentary which more or less summarizes the story to this point and attempts to advance it a step or two. And much to the chagrin of the Vatican, this documentary has effectively put a spotlight on the story and has introduced it (and the scandals connected to it) to a new generation.
Some have argued the documentary adds nothing new to the
story and in one sense that's true, but it does unfold and shine light on some
aspects of the tale that weren't quite in the open and remained unclear.
For me the revelation of accounting paperwork that suggests
the Vatican was directly or indirectly keeping tabs on Orlandi and/or
supporting her financially up until the late 1990's was pretty telling, even
devastating – but it also raises an array of baffling questions as to what was her
state of mind during this period. It seems clear that she was alive at least up
until that point. Why would this teenage then adult girl keep quiet during
these fifteen or so years? Was she imprisoned or perhaps brainwashed? It's
truly strange.
And did she die in the late 1990's? If so, then how? There's
a circumstantial argument to be made that she did, but investigations have
proven inconclusive.
There are connections to the late mobster Enrico De Pedis and
his girlfriend (while a strange and somewhat dubious witness) who provides some
interesting if odd testimony regarding what she saw. This casts the whole
connection to Ali Agca into doubt – and I continue to be among those who doubt
the whole KGB-narrative regarding the attempt on John Paul II's life in 1981.
And while the Russia-consecration angle is interesting and tied in with other
mysteries and controversies – I think it a stretch with regard to the attempted
assassination.
The Orlandi case was connected to Agca by means of the
threatening phone calls that demanded his release – and yet all of that remains
unclear once one introduces the mysterious questions and angles concerning the
mafia and the Papal Curia. There are also the frauds and charlatans – one of
which is revealed in the documentary. Such people hover around cases like this
and muddy the waters.
Emanuela's friend who comes forward in the documentary says
she was being harassed or molested by someone close to the Pope – all
suggestions point to Archbishop Marcinkus who was deeply connected to the
Vatican Bank scandals which had emerged just a couple of years before Orlandi's
kidnapping – and may have been connected to the death of John Paul I in 1978. And
the Swiss banker Roberto Calvi was also connected. His body was found hanging under
London's Blackfriar's Bridge in 1982. Marcinkus would continue to run the
Vatican Bank (IOR) until 1989 and would die in the United States in 2006.
Michele Sindona (a figure connected to both the mafia and the Vatican Bank)
would be poisoned in an Italian prison in 1986. Both the Calvi and Sindona
deaths are reckoned official suicides but there are strong reasons to doubt
this.
In the middle of all this scandal and mystery, a teenage girl
whose family lives on the Vatican grounds is kidnapped. There are harassing and
threatening phone calls regarding the release of Agca, but it makes little
sense. Many believe (with reason) the real reason for her kidnapping is
connected to the bank scandals and organised crime – or was it something to do
with a wayward prelate attempting to cover-up his own personal and perverse
misdeeds? No one really knows – all the possibilities seem plausible but result
in dead ends.
It seems more than likely her kidnapping was tied in with the
mafia and the corruption within Vatican and at least peripherally connected to
banking scandals. As far Agca, all I can say is there is all kinds of funny
business surrounding the 1981 assassination attempt on John Paul II.
It makes for a strange and fascinating tale, but a tragedy
for the Orlandi family. It was certainly interesting to see their faces and
hear their voices.
Near the end of the series, the family lawyer makes a solid
point – the elapse of time makes the crime more and more unsolvable as people
die and clues are left behind. You can see why the family got behind the
documentary. This is their last chance. If the mystery is not resolved soon, it
never will be. It may already be too late.
In the end, there was nothing earth-shattering – all the information
was more or less out there, just not always spelled out so explicitly. Some of
it was tantamount to rumour – some still is. The final (if nebulous) conclusion
is supported – everything points to the Vatican. The Vatican is at the heart of
the cover-up. And the knowledge is retained at the highest levels.
As said, it was good to see the faces, footage, and hear the
actual voices. For my part, I know Rome well enough and it was captivating see
the places I've walked and to revisit the feel of moving about Rome at night.
The watching does become a bit tedious, repetitious, and overdone. The four
episodes could easily have been done in two. Aside from that – it's worth
watching and will undoubtedly whet the appetite for some who have not yet
wandered into the dark labyrinth of Vatican scandal.
See also:
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2019/04/orlandi-and-vatican-scandals-of-1970s.html
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-vatican-bank-scandals-new.html
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2019/10/ior-obstruction.html
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