Pope Leo XIV appoints new president to lead Vatican's child safeguarding commission
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Speaking to over 400 bishops from 38 countries on June 25, 2025, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of pastoral prudence, poverty, and synodality in the ministry of a bishop. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 10:35 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry as the new president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.The prelate succeeds U.S.-born Cardinal Seán O'Malley, 81, the founding president of the safeguarding commission established by Pope Francis in 2014. "I thank the Holy Father for my appointment as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors," Verny said in a statement released on July 5. "I am honoured by the trust he has placed in me, fully aware of the grave and sacred task entrusted to the commission: to help the Church become ever more vigilant, accountable, and compassionate in her mission to protect the most vul...
Speaking to over 400 bishops from 38 countries on June 25, 2025, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of pastoral prudence, poverty, and synodality in the ministry of a bishop. / Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 10:35 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry as the new president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
The prelate succeeds U.S.-born Cardinal Seán O'Malley, 81, the founding president of the safeguarding commission established by Pope Francis in 2014.
"I thank the Holy Father for my appointment as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors," Verny said in a statement released on July 5.
"I am honoured by the trust he has placed in me, fully aware of the grave and sacred task entrusted to the commission: to help the Church become ever more vigilant, accountable, and compassionate in her mission to protect the most vulnerable among us."
The new president praised his predecessor, saying O'Malley has been "a moral compass" for the faithful and for people of good will: "His legacy is one of courageous fidelity to the Gospel and to the dignity of every human person."
Under O'Malley's leadership, the Vatican released its first report on the Church's safeguarding efforts worldwide in October of 2024.
Verny was made a member of the pontifical commission by Pope Francis in 2022 and has since been active in the Vatican's international safeguarding efforts in different countries, including the Central African Republic and the Ivory Coast.
In his first statement as president of the pontifical commission, the French archbishop said the Church cannot "impose" safeguarding models nor "avoid hard conversations" about taboo topics in local traditions.
"Our work must begin by listening — with humility, with respect, and with cultural intelligence," the archbishop said on Saturday.
Since 2022, Verny has also chaired the French Bishops' Conference's council for preventing and combating child abuse while being a member of the Vatican commission.
Between 2016 and 2023, he served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Paris, where he was tasked with upholding the agreement between the archdiocese and local authorities to facilitate the reporting of abuse allegations to the civil courts.
In 2023, Verny was appointed archbishop of Chambéry in southeast France.
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null / Credit: A and I Kruk/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Jul 5, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).As more Catholic parishes and notable Catholic figures become the targets of scammers, a new initiative has been launched to help Catholics spot a scam and avoid becoming victims.Theresa Payton, CEO of Fortalice Solutions and former White House chief information officer, is spearheading the initiative, called "Protecting the Faithful." The campaign is being actively rolled out in parishes across the country through bulletin announcements and the distribution of infographics, videos, and guides highlighting the red flags of a scam.Many of these scams come in the form of emails sent to parishioners that look to be from their pastor asking them to donate to parish charities or ministries. Scammers are also targeting the fans of notable Catholic figures.For instance, there have been several incidents where scammers impersonated Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie. The scammers have messaged Roumie's follower...
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An aerial view of the papal palace of Castel Gandolfo near Rome. The apostolic palace is a complex of buildings served for centuries as a summer residence for the pope and overlooks Lake Albano. / Credit: Stefano Tammaro/ShutterstockVatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 08:30 am (CNA).Two months into his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV will leave Rome to spend two weeks on a pontifical estate in the lakeside town of Castel Gandolfo, 18 miles south of the city, and sometimes known as the "second Vatican City."The pontiff will stay on the hilltop Vatican property "for a period of rest" from the afternoon of July 6 to the afternoon of July 20, the Vatican announced last month. Leo is scheduled to make public appearances from Castel Gandolfo on two Sundays, but otherwise, his public audiences and private audiences will be suspended during that time.Leo will also spend three days in Castel Gandolfo over the holiday weekend for the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary Aug. 15-17. Pope Leo's stay...
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Bishop Mark Maigida Nzukwein of Nigeria's Catholic Diocese of Wukari. / Credit: Courtesy of Diocese of Wukari, NigeriaVatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).Bishop Mark Maigida Nzukwein says displaced families and communities who daily face threats of violence in Nigeria are in great need of spiritual and material support.Since being appointed the first bishop of the Diocese of Wukari, located in Nigeria's Taraba state, by Pope Francis in 2022, Nzukwein has seen the destruction of at least 325 Catholic places of worship by Islamic extremists."Christians here are really suffering," the bishop told CNA in an interview. "The first thing we need from people is their prayerful support.""Secondly, definitely we need material support to help rehabilitate some of our people who are traumatized from the violence that has been very recurrent," he added.Reports released this year by the organizations Aid to the Church in Need and Open Doors have shown that violent attacks against unar...
