Priest accused of child molestation, commits suicide in church

A 38-year-old French priest in a town in northern France committed suicide in his church after being accused of molesting a girl, local prosecutors and police sources told AFP on Wednesday.

Jean-Baptiste Sebe killed himself on Tuesday in the church in Rouen amid allegations from a local mother that her daughter had been a victim of "indecent behaviour and sexual assault," a police source said.

Local prosecutor Etienne Thieffry confirmed that an investigation was underway into "the exact reasons for the suicide" at the St. Jean XXIII church.

The Catholic Church has been shaken by a string of paedophile scandals over the past 25 years.