Vatican envoy to France under investigation for sexual assault: Report

PARIS

The Vatican's envoy to France, Archbishop Luigi Ventura, is under investigation for sexual assault, a French judicial source told CNN on Feb. 15.

The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation on Jan. 24, the source said.

Ventura, 74, has been based in Paris since 2009, serving as a diplomat for Pope Francis, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

CNN said it reached out to the Vatican for a statement, while its embassy in Paris said it would not comment on the investigation.

The development comes after a hellish year for the Catholic Church that saw more revelations of abuse and coverups, prominent resignations and a former Vatican ambassador urging the Pope himself to step down.

The clergy sex abuse scandal has continued into 2019, with a federal investigation and probes across the United States in the works.

In January Pope Francis blasted bishops across the US for their approach to the crisis, saying that the church's credibility had been undermined.