Pope names French bishop Thibault Verny as new president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
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Pope Leo takes first action to address abuse by Catholic clergy
Pope appoints French archbishop as head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. He replaces Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who stepped down over concerns about the group. The commission was set up by Pope Francis in 2014 after a series of sex abuse scandals in the Church. It has been criticised for failing to do enough to protect children from sexual abuse and abuse of power by priests. The Vatican says it is committed to working with the commission to improve the protection of children.
Pope Leo XIV (pictured) has appointed French archbishop Thibault Verny as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
– Pope Leo XIV on July 5 appointed a French archbishop as the new leader of the Vatican’s commission on clergy sexual abuse, in the US pontiff’s first public move to confront an issue that has damaged the global church’s credibility .
Archbishop Thibault Verny, 59, will be president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors while also remaining the archbishop of Chambery in south-east France.
The Vatican commission was created by Pope Francis in 2014 in an effort by the late pontiff to respond after sexual abuse scandals affected the Church in countries across the world.
The scandals have damaged the Church’s standing as a moral voice, led to lawsuits costing millions in countries across the globe, and resulted in a number of resignations of bishops.
Archbishop Verny said he was committed to improving the Church’s safeguarding measures.
“We will promote the… equitable sharing of resources so that all parts of the Church, regardless of geography or circumstance, can uphold the highest standards of protection,” he said in a statement.
Archbishop Verny replaces Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the former archbishop of Boston.
Cardinal O’Malley, 81, had been serving beyond the Church’s traditional retirement age of 80 for bishops. He had led the group since its creation.
While some victims have praised the commission’s efforts , it has also been roiled by the resignations of several of its members over the years.
In 2023, a prominent Jesuit priest and papal adviser stepped down, saying publicly that he had concerns over the way the group was operating.
Archbishop Verny was first made a member of the commission by Pope Francis in 2022. He has also led the French Church’s safeguarding efforts.
Cardinal O’Malley praised the appointment, saying in a statement Archbishop Verny is “a collaborative leader committed to advancing the global adoption of protection and safeguarding, to as best possible assure the safety of those in the care of the Church throughout the world”. REUTERS
French archbishop appointed head of Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
Archbishop Thibault Verny heads the Archdiocese of Chambéry–Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne–Tarentaise. He replaces American Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, who was the founding head of the commission when it was created by Pope Francis in 2014. The appointment of Verny is one of the first major decisions Leo has made in dealing with the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. The Commission has had a rocky history since its founding, with Irish abuse survivor Marie Collins, resigned in frustration in 2017 over what she claimed was Vatican stonewalling on the commission’s proposals.Jesuit Father Hans Zollner left his post at the commission in 2023, citing a host of problems inside the commission and its relationship with the Vatican bureaucracy.
A French archbishop has appointed as the new president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, replacing American Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, who is the former archbishop of Boston, and was the founding head of the commission when it was created by Pope Francis in 2014.
Archbishop Thibault Verny heads the Archdiocese of Chambéry–Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne–Tarentaise.
“Having worked closely with Archbishop Verny through his membership on the Commission since 2022, I have witnessed his dedication to the prevention of abuse in the life of the Church,” said O’Malley, who is now 81.
“In addition to important contributions to the work of the Commission, the Archbishop has years of in-depth experience working with law enforcement, other civil authorities, and Church leadership to ensure accountability for the serious failures of the Church in France,” he said.
When Verny was auxiliary bishop of Paris, he led efforts on dealing with abuse cases, and is now head of safeguarding for the French bishops’ conference.
“He has been at the forefront in seeking healing and reconciliation with survivors,” the American cardinal said in a statement.
“Archbishop Verny played an important role in the development and implementation of substantive policies and procedures, with cultural specificity, for the prevention of any recurrence of abuse. It is a blessing for all people that Pope Leo has entrusted the leadership of the Commission to the Archbishop, a collaborative leader committed to advancing the global adoption of protection and safeguarding, to as best possible assure the safety of those in the care of the Church throughout the world,” O’Malley said.
The cardinal said that in collaboration with the Members and Commission staff, it has established policies and procedures for protection and safeguarding, “always aware of the importance of recognition, resolution, and peace for all persons impacted by abuse.”
“I am grateful to all my colleagues associated with the Commission, those currently active and those who served in prior years, for their significant time and effort given to this mission and their unwavering commitment to the protection of children and vulnerable adults,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV met with the Commission members a month ago in an hour long session, which members told Crux was open and substantial.
The Commission has had a rocky history since its founding, with Irish abuse survivor Marie Collins, resigned in frustration in 2017 over which she claimed was Vatican stonewalling on the commission’s proposals.
Jesuit Father Hans Zollner left his post at the commission in 2023, citing a host of problems inside the commission and its relationship with the Vatican bureaucracy.
“One thing is certain,” the priest told journalists, noting that “several members have left the Pontifical Commission before me and there has been no shortage of criticisms recently expressed publicly by past members, some quite strong.”
The appointment of Verny is one of the first major decisions Leo has made in dealing with the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.
In his statement on Saturday, O’Malley thanked the new pontiff for ensuring the Commission “continues to be a priority for the Church.”
“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,” the cardinal said.
Follow Charles Collins on X: @CharlesinRome
Pope names new members to commission for protection of minors
Pope Francis reconfirms the leadership of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The commission’s 20 members include 10 women and 10 men. 12 of the members are laypeople, three are women religious and three are bishops. Four represent Africa or the Middle East, five come from the Americas, five from Asia and Oceania, and six from Europe. The new members are: Sacred Heart Missionary Father Tim Brennan, a canon lawyer from Australia, and Sister Annah Theresa Nyadombo, a member of the Handmaids of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The returning members include: Auxiliary Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera of Bogotá, Colombia, a psychologist and theologian, and Teresa Kettelkamp, a former executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and Rehabilitation of victims of abuse and drug addiction. The members include “representatives from canon law, social work, the medical and psychological professions, law enforcement and the judiciary as well as pastoral experts,” Pope Francis says.
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ROME — Pope Francis reconfirmed the leadership of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and expanded its membership from 17 to 20 people, naming 10 new members and reappointing 10 returning members.
U.S. Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley of Boston, president of the commission, said, “Coming from all over the world with varied backgrounds and a common passion for the well-being of children and vulnerable people, the members announced today include advocates and practitioners of prevention and protection to the many areas in which the church ministers to children.”
The members include “representatives from canon law, social work, the medical and psychological professions, law enforcement and the judiciary as well as pastoral experts who currently work in dioceses and religious congregations,” he said in a statement Sept. 30, the day the appointments were announced.
“They have all spent significant amounts of their professional lives listening to and supporting victim/survivors of sexual abuse by clergy and church personnel,” he said.
The commission’s 20 members include 10 women and 10 men. Twelve of the members are laypeople, three are women religious, three are bishops and two are priests. Four represent Africa or the Middle East, five come from the Americas, five from Asia and Oceania, and six from Europe.
The commission’s leadership continues to be Cardinal O’Malley as president and Oblate Father Andrew Small as secretary “pro tempore.”
The new members are:
— Sacred Heart Missionary Father Tim Brennan, a canon lawyer from Australia.
— Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, a lawyer from the Netherlands, long active in serving at the European Commission of Human Rights and its court and the Council of Europe. She was the U.N. special rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children from 2014 to 2020.
— Teresa Devlin, an expert in child protection from Ireland, currently serving as CEO of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland.
— Emilie Rivet-Duval, a clinical psychologist from Mauritius specializing in the mental health of young people.
— Irma Patricia Espinosa Hernández, a surgeon, theologian, psychiatrist and psychotherapist from Mexico specializing in criminal psychology and the profiling and evaluation of victims of abuse and sex offenders.
— Maronite Bishop Peter Karam, a Lebanese who serves as patriarchal vicar of the Maronite Synod of Bishops.
— Ewa Kusz, a psychologist, therapist and forensic expert from Poland, who organizes conferences, studies and formation seminars for the church on safeguarding.
— Sister Annah Theresa Nyadombo, a member of the Handmaids of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, she is coordinator in Zimbabwe of Talitha Kum — the global network of religious helping survivors of human trafficking — and is the coordinator of education and safeguarding for the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
— Sri Lankan Good Shepherd Sister Niluka Perera, a social worker and coordinator of Catholic Care for Children, a project of the International Union of Superiors General in Rome. She is also active with anti-trafficking networks, including Talitha Kum.
— Auxiliary Bishop Thibault Verny of Paris, who heads the archdiocese’s efforts in child protection and is chairman of the Safeguarding Commission of the French bishops’ conference.
The returning members are:
— Auxiliary Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera of Bogotá, Colombia, a psychologist and theologian.
— Ernesto Caffo, founder and president of an Italian non-profit promoting children’s rights and combating abuse and violence against minors.
— Indian Sister Arina Gonsalves, an expert in law and education, vice provincial of the Religious of Jesus and Mary, and secretary-general of the safeguarding center for the Latin-rite bishops’ conference of India.
— Nelson Giovanelli Dos Santos, the Brazilian co-founder of Fazenda da Esperança and an expert in the rehabilitation of young victims of drug addiction and abuse.
— Sinalelea Fe’ao, chief education officer for the Diocese of Tonga and Niue.
— Teresa Kettelkamp, former executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection.
— Benyam Dawit Mezmur, an Ethiopian professor of law specializing in human rights and children’s rights. He was chairperson of the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2015-17.
— Neville Owen, a retired senior judge and former chair of the Australian Catholic Church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council.
— Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, president of the Pontifical Gregorian University’s Institute of Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Studies on Human Dignity and Care, which trains experts in safeguarding and in the care of survivors.
— Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean communications executive, abuse survivor and advocate supporting survivors and preventing abuse.
Pope Francis formally established the pontifical commission in March 2014. The body of experts, with input from survivors, is meant to make proposals and spearhead initiatives to improve safeguarding norms and procedures. It remains an advisory body for the pope, and it offers concrete assistance to every level of the church worldwide.
Vatican vs clergy sexual scandals: Pope Leo installs new head of anti-abuse commission
Pope Leo has appointed a French archbishop as the new leader of the Vatican’s commission to combat clergy sexual abuse. This is the recently inducted spiritual leader’s first public move towards an issue that has seriously damaged Christianity’s credibility worldwide. The commission was created by the late Pope Francis (Pope Leo’s predecessor) in 2014, in order to attack the root causes behind sexual abuse scandals that damaged the reputation of the Church in various countries across the world. The new appointment comes amid mixed opinions on whether the Pope Francis had really effected enough change during his papacy.
Archbishop Thibault Verny will now be president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, in addition to his diocesan capacity as the archbishop of Chambéry, South-east France.
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The Vatican commission was created by the late Pope Francis (Pope Leo’s predecessor) in 2014, in order to attack the root causes behind sexual abuse scandals that damaged the reputation of the Church in various countries across the world.
“It seems to me that we must continue to implement a mindset, a culture, within the Churches to spread the protection of minors and ensure that it becomes natural, both in the Church and in families and also in society,” Verny said, as per a Vatican News report.
He also prioritises the “equitable sharing of resources so that all parts of the Church, regardless of geography or circumstance, can uphold the highest standards of protection” a Reuters report said.
Verny succeeds American-origin Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, who has led the pontifical commission since its inception.
The new appointment comes amid mixed opinions on whether the Pope Francis had really effected enough change during his papacy, in the Vatican’s bid to reverse decades of reputational damage that the sex scandals had caused.
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“He gave survivors a lot of hope when he came into office, promising transparency and change,” explained Marie Collins, one of the eight sexual abuse survivors who spoke to Pope Francis at a 2018 meeting in Dublin. She had been abused by a priest at the age of 13 in 1960s Ireland, a separate Reuters report said.
“I’d like to see the next pope (after Pope Francis) institute real policies with real teeth,” Collins had said, earlier this year. She had also been a member of the commission that archbishop Verny now heads, but had left in 2017, frustrated due to internal resistance.
Pope Leo appoints French archbishop to succeed Cardinal O’Malley as president of Pontifical Commission for Protection of Minors
Pope Leo XIV has appointed the French archbishop of Chambéry, Thibault Verny, as the new president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Archbishop Verny has been a member of the commission since 2022. He succeeds Cardinal Seán O’Malley, 81, the emeritus arch Archbishop of Boston who has served with distinction as the first president since Pope Francis first established it in 2014. The commission now has 16 members in addition to the president and the secretary, according to the information provided on its website. Pope Leo had an hour-long meeting with the commission on June 5. That meeting and today’s appointment indicate clearly that the new pope is continuing on the path of Pope Francis in this field, the Vatican said today. The aim of the Commission is to promote the protection of the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults, using the forms and methods, consonant with the nature of the Church, which they consider most appropriate, as well as through their cooperation with individuals and groups.
He succeeds Cardinal Seán O’Malley, 81, the emeritus archbishop of Boston who has served with distinction as the first president of the commission ever since Pope Francis first established it in 2014 as an advisory body to the pope. Cardinal O’Malley oversaw the development of the commission over the past decade and was the last of the original founding members to remain on the commission.
Archbishop Verny is expected to continue as archbishop of Chambéry and, like Cardinal O’Malley, to conduct his work as president of the commission from his archdiocese in France with visits to Rome whenever necessary.
Bishop Alí Herrera, 58, is currently secretary of the commission, of which he has been a long-time member. He was secretary-general of the Colombian Catholic Bishops’ Conference when Pope Francis appointed him as secretary of the commission in 2024 and called him to Rome to do that work. In recent days, he was received in a private audience with Pope Leo, and sources expect him to continue in this post which, they say, he has managed with competence and affability.
The commission now has 16 members in addition to the president and the secretary, according to the information provided on its website. Pope Leo had an hour-long meeting with the commission on June 5. That meeting and today’s appointment indicate clearly that the new pope is continuing on the path of Pope Francis in this field.
The aim of the commission “is to promote the protection of the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults, using the forms and methods, consonant with the nature of the Church, which they consider most appropriate, as well as through their cooperation with individuals and groups pursuing these same objectives.”
As part of the reform of the Roman Curia, and with the recommendation of Cardinal O’Malley in the Council of Cardinal Advisors (the C9), Pope Francis made the commission part of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in June 2022.
That same year, Pope Francis appointed then-Bishop Verny as a member of the commission. In 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as archbishop of Chambéry and bishop of Maurienne and Tarentaise.
In an interview with Vatican Media, Archbishop Verny shared his feeling about his appointment as president of the commission.
“Three words came to my mind and heart. First of all, the word ‘humility’ in the face of the importance and gravity of the mission and the challenges that come with it. Then the word ‘gratitude,’ towards our Holy Father, Leo XIV, for the trust he has shown in me; gratitude, of course, also towards Cardinal O’Malley, with whom I had the opportunity to collaborate in the Pontifical Commission, and for all his work. The third word is “determination” to continue and deepen this work.”
In a statement to the press issued later, Archbishop Verny said:
I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to my predecessor, Cardinal Seán O’Malley, whose courageous and prophetic leadership has left an indelible mark not only on the Church but on society at large. In times of profound difficulty, Cardinal O’Malley has been a moral compass for the faithful and for people of good will everywhere. He has steadfastly upheld the primacy of listening to the voices of survivors of abuse—giving them space to be heard, believed, and accompanied in their search for truth, justice, healing, and meaningful institutional reform. His legacy is one of courageous fidelity to the Gospel and to the dignity of every human person. As I continue my work with the Commission I am committed, together with the members and personnel, to building on that legacy. Our priorities will focus on supporting Churches, especially those still struggling to implement adequate safeguarding measures. We will promote subsidiarity and the equitable sharing of resources so that all parts of the Church, regardless of geography or circumstance, can uphold the highest standards of protection. We recognise that this is a path of conversion that we are all on together. As Pope Francis always reminded us, only under this condition can the Gospel truly be heard and believed.
Born in Paris on Nov. 7, 1965, Thibault Verny obtained a university degree in engineering and physics at l’Ecole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de Paris before entering the Parisian diocesan seminary. He was sent to Rome to study theology at the Pontifical French Seminary and the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he earned his licentiate in theology.
Ordained a priest on June 27, 1998, for the Archdiocese of Paris, in 2016 he was appointed auxiliary bishop, with particular responsibility for the protection of minors. In this role, the commission’s biography of him reports that he was involved in negotiating, implementing and monitoring the agreement between the Archdiocese of Paris and the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office to facilitate reporting of abuse allegations to the civil courts.
Since 2022, Archbishop Verny has chaired the Council for Preventing and Combating Child Abuse of the French Bishops’ Conference, initiating various training and prevention programs.
Commenting on that experience, which ended last June, he told Vatican Media:
“In France, my mission, first in the Archdiocese of Paris and then in the Bishops’ Conference, allowed me to listen to the victims and accompany them on their journey. It was a decisive experience. I also had the opportunity to work with representatives of civil society, particularly in the field of justice, with whom we were able to develop working protocols that allowed us to establish a methodology. It is also significant to be able to work with the civil authorities, in addition, of course, to all the dioceses of France.”
Asked what he envisions as the priorities of the commission of which he is now president, Archbishop Verny told Vatican Media:
The priorities will be to continue the work already presented in the annual report, the initiatives in countries that need them, and through the “Memorare” project to support the Churches in welcoming and accompanying victims. The guidelines will be published shortly. They provide guidance for the accompaniment and protection of minors. Another point that I think is important will be to be able to network the initiatives. Too often, individual countries work on their own. Instead, it is necessary to be able to support each other and share what is being done.
Archbishop Verny’s predecessor, Cardinal O’Malley, also issued a statement to the press in which he said he has known the archbishop for many years:
It is a blessing for all people that Pope Leo has entrusted the leadership of the Commission to the Archbishop, a collaborative leader committed to advancing the global adoption of protection and safeguarding, to as best possible assure the safety of those in the care of the Church throughout the world.
The American cardinal thanked Pope Leo “for ensuring that the Commission continues to be a priority for the Church.” He added: “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.”
Pope Leo appointed Archbishop Verny as president of the commission today, as the Augustinian pope prepared to go to Castel Gandolfo on July 6 for a summer vacation until July 20. During that time, he is expected to reflect on which appointments he wishes to make in the Roman Curia and other decisions he has to make in the second half of this year. The pope is expected to participate in the Jubilee of Youth, which will take place from July 28 to Aug. 3.