Pope Francis has recently come to the defense of the late Pope John Paul II, who has been accused in a documentary film of ignoring allegations of abuse by priests and protecting them through transfers. Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, addressed the accusations on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, stating that Pope John Paul II is “these days the object of insulting and unfounded insinuations.”

Although Pope Francis did not specify which accusations he was referring to, it is widely believed to be related to a documentary film that caused uproar in Poland in March.

The film alleges that Pope John Paul II, born Karol Wojtyla in Poland, knew about allegations of priests’ abuse during his time as archbishop of Krakow in the 1960s and 1970s and protected the perpetrators by transferring them.

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Italian and Vatican media have linked Pope Francis’ statement to remarks made by the brother of Emanuela Orlandi, who disappeared almost 40 years ago.

The Vatican’s judiciary has been investigating the case since January, as prosecutors suspect that Orlandi, the daughter of a Curia employee and a Vatican citizen, was abducted or murdered after she never returned home from a music lesson in Rome’s old town on June 22, 1983, and her body was never found.

After a recent meeting with the Vatican’s chief prosecutor, Emanuela Orlandi’s brother, Pietro, spoke out about the case on a TV program, alleging that Pope John Paul II, as well as Benedict XVI and Francis, knew or know what happened at that time. However, his statement was open to interpretation and caused a stir.

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Pietro Orlandi further claimed that he had heard that Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, used to go out every evening with two Polish priest friends, not to “bless the houses.” However, he clarified in a subsequent broadcast that he had never accused Pope John Paul II of pedophilia and alleged that his words had been sensationalized for headlines.