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On Saturday, Pope Leo XIV appointed France’s Bishop Thibault Verny to lead the Vatican’s child protection advisory group, signalling his determination to maintain the fight against clerical sexual abuse.
Verny, 59, replaces Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the retired archbishop of Boston. O’Malley was the founding head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which Pope Francis formed in 2014 to advise the church on best practices for combating abuse and protecting children.
As the abuse crisis grew over the world under Francis’ 12-year papacy, the committee first lost power, and its ultimate suggestion, the establishment of a tribunal to sentence bishops who covered up for predator priests, went nowhere. After years of reform and new members, it has evolved into a venue where victims can be heard and bishops can seek assistance on developing guidelines to combat abuse.
Verny, the bishop of Chambery, France, has served on the commission since 2022 and leads the bishops conference’s child protection committee in France, where the church has been devastated by decades of abuse by priests and bishops. He was one of many commission members who met with Leo last month.
The bishop has been responsible for doing an annual audit of the French church’s centers for receiving victims, an initiative that was started after a devastating 2021 report into the French scandal estimated 330,000 children in France had been sexually abused over the past 70 years by church personnel.
Cardinal O’Malley praised the appointment, saying Verny has developed in-depth experience helping victims and working with law enforcement and civil authorities to ensure accountability “for the serious failures of the church in France.”
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More ShortsIn a statement, O’Malley also praised Leo for continuing to consider the commission a priority.
“The Holy Father’s words and deeds in these early months of his pontificate assure the world that the Church will not grow complacent in her efforts to as best possible ensure the protection of children, vulnerable adults and all people in our communities,” he said.
Verny, for his part, praised O’Malley’s leadership as courageous and having served as “a moral compass” for the church, a reference to O’Malley’s occasional statements of outrage when even Francis bungled an abuse case.
“I am committed, together with the members and personnel, to building on that legacy,” Verny said in a statement.
The American-born pope made the appointment the day before heading for a six-week vacation at the papal summer retreat south of Rome.
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