Latest news with #Verny
The Mainichi
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
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.
Korea Herald
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Pope Leo XIV signals continuity on fighting abuse
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.
LeMonde
06-07-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
Pope Leo XIV signals continuity on fighting abuse with new head of child protection board
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, July 5. 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 the best practices to fight abuse and protect children. As the abuse scandal spread globally during Francis's 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 that 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.
UPI
05-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
French Bishop to lead Vatican's minors-protection commission
Pope Leo XIV holds a drawing during an audience with children and young people during the 'Estate Ragazzi in Vaticano' summer camp in Vatican City on Thursday. Photo by Vatican Media/EPA 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.
Chicago Tribune
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Pope Leo XIV signals continuity on fighting abuse with new head of child protection board
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.
