Was missing Vatican schoolgirl, 15, 'molested' days before she vanished in 1983? Childhood friend claims Emaneula Orlandi was sexually assaulted by 'someone close to the Pope' in new Netflix documentary

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11340987/Was-missing-Vatican-schoolgirl-15-molested-days-vanished-1983.html

• Vatican Girl explores theories surrounding the disappearance of Emanuela, 15

• The teenager disappeared on her way home from a flute lesson in Rome, 1983

• Emanuela's childhood friend has spoken out, 39 years after she disappeared

Emanuela Orlandi was on her way home from a flute lesson in Rome when she disappeared near the city's Piazza Navonaon on June 22, 1983 - at the age of just 15.

After nearly 40 years, Netflix documentary Vatican Girl, which investigates the teenager's disappearance, has explored a new theory focused on the Vatican.

The documentary interviews a childhood friend of the teenager, who claims Emanuela was molested in the Vatican 'by someone close to the Pope' - John Paul II.

The theory suggests a criminal organisation called the Magliana Gang knew about the assault and kidnapped her to put pressure on the Vatican to extort money.

The belief is that the Vatican had borrowed money from the gang to fund a trade union in Poland, where the Pope was from, which was fighting back against communism.

In the documentary, the woman claiming to be Emanuela's childhood friend, who does not reveal her face, claims the teen told her about the assault about a week before she vanished, The Telegraph reports.

She claims Emanuela told her she had been 'bothered' by someone 'close to the Pope' while she was walking in the Vatican's grounds a few days earlier.

After confirming the incident Emanuela had reported was 'absolutely' of a sexual nature, she broke down in tears and admitted she was too terrified to speak up about it before now.

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