Pope offers prayers to family of 'Vatican girl' who went missing 40 years ago

FILE PHOTO: Pietro, brother of Emanuela Orlandi holds a banner with her picture in front of St. Peter square as Pope Benedict XVI leads the angelus prayer December 18, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday offered prayers and solidarity to the family of a Vatican schoolgirl who went missing 40 years ago in one of Italy's most enduring mysteries.

Emanuela Orlandi, the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican usher, failed to return home on June 22, 1983, after a music lesson in central Rome.