to”In the Orlando case Pope Francis and Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin want the truth to come out without reservations ». to say it exclusively to courier Promoter of Justice in Vatican City, Professor Alessandro Dedi, born in 1965, is an established criminal lawyer and professor of criminal procedure. Didi is a high level professional, who has dealt with highly sensitive events and has the qualities and means to search deeply for the truth. Today (Tuesday) he will meet Pietro Orlandi and family attorney Laura Sgro for the first time.

Professor Didi, what methodology have you researched and are going to delve into the Orlandi case? What is the approach in view of the assignment he received from the Pope in the case of Emanuela?
To answer your question, I think the hypothesis is appropriate. A few years ago, the Holy Father appointed me as a judge of the Vatican court in the office of the promoter of justice, which was headed at that time by my professor, Professor Gian Piero Milano; Under his knowledgeable experience and diligent guidance, varied and careful investigations were carried out. In the month of September last year, after I had reached the age of retirement, Pope Francis, who kindly considered my university and my legal profession, entrusted me with the role of head of this very delicate office, which was also reorganized thanks to the help of two ordinary and two regular offices. applied judges. While it is not easy to move forward in an institution that prides itself on 2,000 years of tradition, I try to go through all the files I have inherited. Among those, there was one that contained A series of complaints from the Orlandi family regarding the disappearance of Emanuela. In order to finally clarify the matter, in January of this year I received from the Pope the task of dealing with the case, and from this perspective, I decided to collect all the information in one file, having immediately understood the relevance of the matter. of the materials I had available. In conjunction with this initiative, a parliamentary commission of inquiry has been formed in Italy, and thus there will be fruitful cooperation between the two countries.

How do you plan to work and what mandate did you receive from Pope Francis?
 «There are undoubtedly investigations to be carried out and aspects to be explored, as well as follow-up requests formulated over and over again by the Orlandi family. However, a personal profile which is worth emphasizing is that both the Holy Father and Cardinal Pietro Parolin have given me maximum freedom of action to investigate on a broad basis without stipulation of any kind and with a firm invitation not to be silent about anything. I have a mandate to check every aspect in the spirit of candor, of evangelical “parrhesia,” and this approach is the most important. This is the position with which we approach the Orlandi case.”

Can we say that there was a strong desire on the part of the Supreme Pontiff to find out the truth about Emanuela’s fate?
“Yes, the desire and iron will of the Pope and the Secretary of State to clarify without reservations. And in my activity – as I have just mentioned – I have not received nor suffered any kind of conditioning either in the investigations that we are conducting or in the investigations that have already been carried out ».

Does something really appear, at least in terms of the overall view?
• Some preliminary results have been achieved. I learned that the Italian Commission of Inquiry has a mission – also through a rogatory – to ask the Vatican judiciary for information and ideas that we will provide very frankly with a view to mutual cooperation. On the basis of these premises, I would very much like to reiterate the hope that the truth may one day emerge from the result of this joint effort ».

How is your business organized?
«I can tell you that within a few months, examinations were carried out that had not been carried out in 40 years and allowed me to analyze very important aspects. The in-depth investigations that are carried out must appear, because they are investigative activities that are destined to flow entirely into the files of the Office, and the Vatican hierarchies are fully aware of this. Misunderstandings should no longer creep into certain evidentiary documents, and there can be no shadows over which an aura of mystery can continue to gather. If I do not carry out investigative activities carefully – even if I mention them I will work inside the Vatican – I will be under the eyes of the whole world. And I absolutely don’t want anyone to think that they have, in some way, kept someone or covered up some situation. I don’t want to take that risk, I can’t take it. The Vatican knows these prerogatives of mine and I have collected ample assurances that we share the same intentions ».

Professor, have you already had the opportunity to delve into the papers, both Italian and Vatican, relating to the Orlandi case?
“Yes, and there are many, many more; I was able to read and analyze them. There were also internal purchases of very old and dusty old papers. I am still looking for more.”

Have you also been able to conduct witness hearings inside the Vatican?
 «We are also working on this front, but I can say no more; We have accumulated many items, albeit in a relatively short time. We will hear from Pietro Orlandi and obtain the necessary certification information, and listen to what he has not edited to tell us. We will listen to everything and investigate appropriate feedback. There are – inside and outside the Vatican – figures that can still be found. Important investigations were also made in the course of the earlier Roman Inquisition. But I have to clarify one thing … »

Any clarification, Professor Didi?
 «The premise is that, technically, my team and I cannot conduct investigations in Italy, so we must limit ourselves to working on a plot of land of half a square kilometer: within my jurisdiction I enjoy wide autonomy, but as for investigations on Italian soil I must communicate with the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome and with the new Public Prosecutor Francesco Le Foy. In the past, due to previous investigative activities, the relationships between the offices of the Public Prosecutor and Di and the results were lucrative. In this new phase, if there are extreme cases, we will assess the possibility of sending rogatory requests to Minister Nordio, through the appropriate institutional channels, and ask the Italian judicial authority to carry out the investigations deemed necessary as we are ready, with a view to mutual cooperation, to carry out any requests he wants Rome Prosecutor’s Office Sent from the Ministry of Justice to the Secretariat of State. We will have to discuss many aspects and tell them many things as they do to us.”

Even if 40 years have passed, are there still figures and “historical memories” capable of reconstructing the facts?
“We are working on it. Pope Francis persistently strives for absolute transparency, the search for truth and cleanliness. The approach taken in the Orlandi case is the same as applied to the possession of property in Sloane Street, London, with which I began my activity as a magistrate in the Vatican. It never happened that a Cardinal ended up on trial and an Italian citizen was arrested in Italy at the request of the Vatican. The indictment against Mincione, Biscio and Turzi will take place in July, then the verdict will arrive in December..

I participated as a lawyer in the Mafia Capitale trial: can we say that the role of Banda della Magliana is important in the Orlandi case?
 «Given that I cannot go into detail and that there are massive investigations into the matter by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome, I am afraid that Banda della Magliana’s role in the Orlandi case has been exaggerated, although there is some evidence. But the situation requires a broader framework ».