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, the Vatican announced today, July 5. Archbishop Verny, 59, has been a member of the commission since 2022.
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.
