Pope Leo XIV signals continuity on fighting abuse with new head of child protection board

ROME (AP) – Pope Leo XIV signaled commitment to continuing the fight against clergy sexual abuse by appointing France’s Bishop Thibault Verny to head the Vatican’s child protection advisory commission on Saturday.

Verny, 59, replaces American Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the retired archbishop of Boston. O’Malley was the founding president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, an advisory group Pope Francis established in 2014 to advise the church on best practices to fight abuse and protect children.

As the abuse scandal spread globally during Francis’ 12-year pontificate, the commission initially lost influence and its crowning recommendation – the creation of a tribunal to judge bishops who covered up for predator priests – went nowhere. After many years of reform and new members, it has become a place where victims can go to be heard and bishops can get advice on crafting guidelines to fight abuse.

Verny, who is currently the bishop of Chambery, France, has been a member of the commission since 2022 and heads the child protection council of the bishops conference in France, where the church has been rocked by revelations of decades and abuse by priests and bishops. He was among 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.”

In 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.