Pope Leo XIV on 5 July appointed French Archbishop Thibault Verny as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, the Vatican advisory body charged with preventing and responding to clergy sexual abuse. Verny, 59, keeps his posts as Archbishop of Chambéry and Bishop of Maurienne and Tarentaise while taking over the commission, which was set up in 2014 under Pope Francis. The French prelate has been a member of the commission since 2022 and, until last month, led the Council for the Prevention and Fight against Paedophilia within the French bishops’ conference. “Our priorities will focus on supporting churches, particularly those still struggling to implement adequate safeguarding measures,” Verny said in a statement released by the Holy See. Verny succeeds U.S. Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, who stepped down after reaching the canonical retirement age of 80. O’Malley, founding head of the panel, welcomed the hand-over, calling Verny “a collaborative leader committed to advancing global safeguarding standards.” The commission, composed of clergy, lay experts and abuse survivors, advises the pope on policies and audits local churches’ compliance. The move marks one of the first major governance decisions of Leo XIV’s pontificate, begun in May, and signals continuity on confronting abuse scandals that have damaged the Church’s credibility worldwide.