The Vatican said on Friday that it was launching an investigation into French cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, reports Deutsche Welle.
The cardinal admitted to committing a "reprehensible" act of sexual abuse on a 14-year-old.
"In order to properly examine what happened, it has been decided to open a preliminary inquiry," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
Bruni said that the Vatican was looking for a person "with the necessary autonomy, impartiality and experience."
On Monday, France's Catholic Church revealed that 11 former or serving French bishops have been accused of abuse or not reporting abuse cases.
On Tuesday, French prosecutors said they had launched an investigation into Ricard for alleged "aggravated sexual assault," but had not yet filed a complaint.