The French Catholic Church demands an investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of the late priest Abbe Pierre

Prosecutors were urged by the French Catholic Church on Friday to begin an investigation into allegations of sexual assault against the late French priest Abbe Pierre, a lifetime advocate for the homeless and impoverished, as well as possible lies about such abuse.

A Roman Catholic priest who gave up his fortune to advocate for the homeless, Henri-Antoine Groues, sometimes known as Abbe Pierre, was once one of France’s most admired individuals. The 94-year-old passed away in 2007.

After two organizations Abbe Pierre created published a report last July that included the testimonials of seven women who accused the late priest of sexual assault or harassment, the church made the request.

The organizations, the Abbe Pierre Foundation and Emmaus International, declared their support for the accused victims and their belief in the charges.

Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, France’s top bishop, said in a statement released on Friday that he was requesting that the Paris prosecutor’s office launch an investigation into “failure to report rape and sexual assault on vulnerable people and minors.”

“Only the justice system has the necessary investigative means to allow the full truth to be known on potential silences that benefitted Abbe Pierre,” stated the statement.

A Reuters request for comment was not immediately answered by the Paris prosecutor’s office.

After the initial charges were made public, the charity set up a hotline to collect more testimonials. They released a third report on Monday, increasing the total number of claimed victims of Abbe Pierre to 33, and a second report in September with 17 additional suspected victims.

The organizations expressed gratitude to people who had bravely consented to talk about their experiences of abuse, often for the first time.