French Bishop to lead Vatican's minors-protection commission
July 5 (UPI) -- French Archbishop Thibault Verny is the Vatican's new president of its Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors after opposing child abuse within the Episcopal Conference.
Pope Leo XIV appointed Verny to succeed American Capuchin Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley, with whom Verny worked to promote a "culture of protection for vulnerable people," Vatican News reported on Saturday.
Verny is the Archbishop of Chambery and the Bishop of Maurienne and Tarentaise in France.
As president of the commission to protect minors, Verny said he will continue working to protect minors against sexual abuse and raise awareness within the church.
"In France, my mission ... allowed me to listen to the victims and accompany them on their journey," Verny said. "It was a decisive experience."
He also worked with law enforcement and other civil authorities to develop protocols for thwarting abuse within the church.
"It is a matter of raising awareness among the various sepiscopates, religious orders and congregations in different countries about listening to and accompanying victims in a specific way," Verny said.
"We must continue to implement a mindset [and] a culture within the churches to spread the protection of minors and ensure that it becomes natural, both in the church and in family and also in society."
His appointment comes as the Catholic Church works to address past wrongs and prevent future occurrences.
Pope Francis in September visited Timor-Leste, during which he called for protecting youth amid a clergy abuse scandal in the island nation.
He made the visit following the Vatican in 2022 disciplining Bishop Ximenes Belo, who had been accused of sexually abusing young boys during the 1980s and 1990s.
The accusation was one of many that have plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
In France, the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse published a 2,500-page report in 2021 after a three-year investigation.
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