Paris/Rome - The Vatican has lifted the immunity of the papal
ambassador to France, who is under suspicion of sexual assault, the
French Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
The ministry said it had received confirmation from the Vatican of
the lifting of immunity after the Parisian public prosecutor
forwarded a request to do so.
The public prosecutor began investigations into Luigi Ventura at the
start of the year after it was alleged that Ventura had committed
sexual assault at a ceremony in Paris's city halls.
Ventura is accused of molesting another man. Further men later made
similar accusations.
The Vatican confirmed the lifting of immunity. The extraordinary
measure shows that the pope's representative in Paris is ready to
cooperate fully with the French judicial authorities, it said in a
statement.
The Catholic Church has been in turmoil for years over worldwide
reports of clerical sex abuse and the Vatican has repeatedly pledged
to tackle the issue with reforms.