“I can confirm that the letter from Emanuela Orlandi's family has been received by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin,” interim Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said.
He said that their request to have the tomb reopened “will now be studied”.
Last summer, an anonymous note saying “seek where the angel points” was sent to the family’s lawyer Laura Sgrò, together with a photograph of the suspect tomb.
In the photograph, the tomb in question is being pointed at by a statue of an angel on the cemetery wall, who is holding a sheet of paper upon which is written Requiescat in pace: rest in peace.
Investigations were promptly carried out, leading to the discovery that the tomb had been opened at least once and that the dating of the statue is different to that on the grave.
It was also verified that “some people had been informed of the possibility that the remains of Emanuela Orlandi had been hidden in the Teutonic cemetery,” Sgrò said.
Sgrò is requesting that the tomb is now opened in the presence of a representative of the Orlandi family, as well as technical consultant Dr. Giorgio Portera “so that he can participate in the operation with all the necessary guarantees given the seriousness of the case”.
