The French church has formally requested that prosecutors open an investigation into Abbé Pierre, a once-revered priest and humanitarian icon who died in 2007, following new revelations of sexual violence.

PARIS (Reuters) - France's Catholic Church called on prosecutors on Friday to open a probe into sexual assault accusations against the late French priest Abbe Pierre, who was a lifelong campaigner for the poor and homeless, and potential cover-ups of such abuse.

The head of France's Catholic bishops has called for a judicial investigation into Abbé Pierre following fresh allegations of sexual abuse against the priest and founder of the Emmaüs charity, who died in 2007.

One accuser, referred to as "HH," a family member of Abbé Pierre, reported suffering "sexual contact on her breasts and mouth at the end of the 1990s" from him, highlighting the incestuous nature of the abuse. Another victim stated, "I told myself—all those girls had lived the same experiences as me," Closer notes.

Born Henri Groues in 1912, Abbe Pierre was a French Catholic priest renowned for his dedication to aiding the poor and homeless. In 1949, he founded the Emmaus movement, an intern

France’s Catholic Church on Friday said that it had asked prosecutors to investigate a raft of sexual abuse accusations against a charity icon who was showered with accolades during his lifetime. Born Henri Groues,