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.

The French Bishop Thibault Verny has been appointed to head the Vatican’s child protection advisory commission. He has been praised for his experience of ensuring accountability ‘for the serious failures of the church in France,’ where an estimated 330,000 children were sexually abused over the past 70 years by church personnel.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