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.

The Catholic Church in France has called on prosecutors to investigate allegations of serious sexual abuse by the once venerated priest Abbé Pierre, who died in 2007. Only the courts had the necessary investigative resources to ensure that the whole truth was told about the silences and denials from which Abbé Pierre may have benefited,