Two Catholic priests who have served at multiple churches in the Chicago area are stepping away from the ministry, amid separate allegations of sexual abuse of a child decades ago, the Chicago Archdiocese announced Saturday.

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 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.

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.

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,