Latest news with #ThibaultVerny
Al Bawaba
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Pope Leo XIV moves to confront priest abuse scandals
ALBAWABA - Pope Leo XIV has made French Archbishop Thibault Verny the new head of the Vatican's Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. This is the first big thing he has done to deal with the problem of priest abuse around the world. Also Read Pope pushes Putin towards peace with Ukriane The move shows that the Vatican is trying again to rebuild trust in the Catholic Church after decades of abuse scandals that hurt its reputation around the world. Archbishop Verny, who is 59 years old, will keep his job as Archbishop of Chambéry in the southeast of France while also taking over as head of the commission. In a statement released on Saturday, Verny reaffirmed his dedication to enhancing safety measures within the Church. "We will work to make sure that resources are shared fairly so that every part of the Church, no matter where it is or what its conditions are, can uphold the highest standards of child protection," he said. The panel was created by Pope Francis in 2014 in response to widespread reports of sexual abuse by clergy in many countries. Over the past ten years, these issues have caused a lot of legal and financial problems and forced a lot of Church leaders to step down. Cardinal Seán O'Malley, who was Archbishop of Boston and now leads the panel, is taking over from Verny. At age 81, O'Malley was still working for the Church after the legal retirement age of 80. During his time in office, there was both growth and problems, such as resignations from within the commission and criticism of how well it worked. 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. — Spectrum Bay News 9 (@BN9) July 5, 2025 In 2023, a well-known Jesuit priest and pope adviser quit the commission because he was unhappy with how it was run and structured. Even so, a lot of survivors and supporters have praised the commission's work to push for openness and change. Verny was first named to the committee by Pope Francis in 2022. Since then, he has been in charge of protecting the Church in France and has been praised for taking a proactive approach to reform and safety. The new leader was praised by Cardinal O'Malley, who called Verny "a committed and collaborative leader dedicated to expanding global protections and ensuring the safety of those under the Church's care." People inside and outside the Church are calling for more responsibility and systemic change. With this appointment, Pope Leo XIV starts to shape his papacy's response to one of the Church's most important moral problems.
LBCI
7 hours ago
- LBCI
Pope Leo takes first action to address abuse by Catholic clergy
Pope Leo on Saturday appointed a French archbishop as the new leader of the Vatican's commission on clergy sexual abuse, in the U.S. pontiff's first public move to confront an issue that has damaged the global Church's credibility. Thibault Verny, 59, will be president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors while also remaining the archbishop of Chambery in southeast 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. Reuters
South China Morning Post
14 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Pope Leo signals continuity on fighting child abuse with Vatican appointee
Pope Leo XIV signalled 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. Advertisement 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, while 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 of 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 centres 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. Members of the association Mouv'Enfants during a demonstration against alleged abuse outside 'Le beau Rameau', a French Catholic secondary school and high school complex in Lestelle-Betharram, southwestern France, on February 12. Photo: AFP 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.'
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pope Leo takes first action to address abuse by Catholic clergy
By Joshua McElwee VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo on Saturday appointed a French archbishop as the new leader of the Vatican's commission on clergy sexual abuse, in the U.S. pontiff's first public move to confront an issue that has damaged the global Church's credibility. Thibault Verny, 59, will be president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors while also remaining the archbishop of Chambery in southeast 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. 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. Verny replaces Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the former archbishop of Boston. O'Malley, 81, had been serving beyond the Church's traditional retirement age of 80 for bishops. O'Malley 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. Verny was first made a member of the commission by Francis in 2022. He has also led the French Church's safeguarding efforts. O'Malley praised the appointment, saying in a statement 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".
CTV News
16 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Pope Leo XIV signals continuity on fighting abuse with new head of child protection board
Pope Leo XIV leaves after celebrating a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday, June 29, 2025, where he conferred the pallium on newly appointed metropolitan archbishops. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File) ROME — 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. Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press
