VATICAN CITY – Archbishop Thibault Verny was received in audience by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on Fraiday September 12th, marking the first official meeting between the President of the Commission and the Holy Father, following his appointment on July 15.

Monsignor Verny was accompanied by Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, Secretary of the Commission.

The audience was requested by Monsignor Verny in order to personally express his gratitude to the Holy Father for the trust placed in him through the appointment, and to present the Second Annual Report on Policies and Procedures for Protection in the Church.

This Report, established at the initiative of Pope Francis in 2022, aims to assess the safeguarding capacities of local Churches, offering practical recommendations based on the concrete experiences of various ecclesial regions.

During the meeting, Monsignor Verny reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to continuing the mission entrusted to it by Pope Francis through Praedicate Evangelium, in the development of safeguarding policies, the drafting of the annual report, and support for local Churches through the Memorare Initiative.

“With humility and hope, the Commission continues the mission entrusted to us, advancing the Holy Father’s vision of rooting throughout the Church a culture of prevention that tolerates no form of abuse: neither of power or authority, nor of conscience or spirituality, nor of sexual abuse.” 

— Monsignor Verny