French prosecutors have opened an investigation into allegations of sexual assault against the papal nuncio to France, Monsignor Luigi Ventura, a judicial source confirmed on Friday.
The allegations were first reported by newspaper Le Monde, which said that Ventura, 74, had been accused of repeatedly touching a young male city official during a reception at the Paris city hall.
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The apostolic nuncio is effectively the Vatican ambassador to France, as well as the papal delegate to the local Catholic Church.
Ventura has previously served as nuncio to the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chile and Canada.
The Catholic Church is in the throes of a major sex abuse crisis, following a string of recent scandals in Chile, the U.S., Germany, Australia and elsewhere.
Coming week, Pope Francis is due to host a special summit on the prevention of child abuse by the clergy, to be attended by head bishops of national Catholic Church organisations from around the world. (NAN)
