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ROME (AP) \u2014 Pope Leo XIV signaled commitment to continuing the fight against clergy sexual abuse<\/a> by appointing France’s Bishop Thibault Verny to head the Vatican\u2019s child protection advisory commission on Saturday.<\/p>\n Verny, 59, replaces American Cardinal Sean O\u2019Malley<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n As the abuse scandal spread globally during Francis\u2019 12-year pontificate, the commission initially lost influence and its crowning recommendation \u2014 the creation of a tribunal to judge bishops who covered up for predator priests \u2014 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> of decades and abuse by priests and bishops. He was among commission members who met with Leo last month.<\/p>\n The bishop has been responsible for doing an annual audit of the French church\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Cardinal O\u2019Malley praised the appointment, saying Verny has developed in-depth experience helping victims and working with law enforcement and civil authorities to ensure accountability \u201cfor the serious failures of the church in France.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement, O\u2019Malley also praised Leo for continuing to consider the commission a priority.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Holy Father\u2019s 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Verny, for his part, praised O\u2019Malley\u2019s leadership as courageous and having served as \u201ca moral compass\u201d for the church, a reference to O\u2019Malley\u2019s occasional statements of outrage when even Francis bungled an abuse case.<\/p>\n \u201cI am committed, together with the members and personnel, to building on that legacy,\u201d Verny said in a statement.<\/p>\n The American-born pope made the appointment the day before heading for a six-week vacation at the papal summer retreat south of Rome.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP\u2019s collaboration<\/a> with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n