Francis may have intended them as simple words of comfort. But in the weeks that followed, Pietro repeatedly asked to meet the Pope for an explanation but got no reply.

“For 31 years we don’t know if she’s dead or alive and suddenly he comes out and says she’s dead. How does he know?”

This summer, Pietro tried a different tack. The 31st anniversary of Emanuela’s disappearance fell on a Sunday in June. He formally requested the Pope mention his sister during his weekly Angelus prayer to the thousands who normally gather at St. Peter’s Square.

Pietro showed up with 200 supporters, but the Pope didn’t mention Emanuela. Shouts of “Shame!” from Pietro’s group echoed through the square.

“She’s the only Vatican citizen to ever be kidnapped,” says Pietro, a longtime Vatican employee until his recent retirement. “Indifference would be bad enough but there’s a desire to have Emanuela forgotten at all costs.

“Why is there this shadow of omerta over the Vatican?”

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