Thibault Verny

Thibault Verny (born 7 November 1965) is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who has been president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since July 2025. He has been Archbishop of Chambéry since 2023. Since being named a bishop in 2016 he has played a key role in protecting minors against sexual abuse, first in Paris and then on the national level in France.

Biography Thibault Verny was born in Paris on 7 November 1965. He entered the archdiocesan seminary of Paris and then attended the Pontifical French Seminary in Rome. He earned a licentiate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Paris on 27 June 1998. He received his episcopal consecration on 9 September

Within the French Bishops Conference (CEF), he served from 2017 to 2022 on the Council for Christian Unity and Jewish relations, with particular responsibility for the Jewish community. Verny became chair of the CEF's Council for Preventing and Combating Child Abuse. In that role he initiating various training and prevention programs. His service in that position ended in June 2025. On 30 September 2022, he was named a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. As a member he played a role in the Commission's work in the Central African Republic and the Ivory Coast.

On 11 May 2023, Pope Francis named him archbishop of Chambéry and bishop of Saint-Jean-de Maurienne and of Tarentaise, a group of ecclesiastical jurisdictions comprising almost the entirety of the province of Savoie that have been united under a single prelate since 1966. He was installed in Chambéry on 27 August, in Maurienne on 2 September, and in Tarentaise on 9 September.

On 5 July 2025, Pope Leo XIV named him president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. As he accepted this appointment, Verny emphasized the need for cultural sensitivity in working with episcopal conferences, especially those with limited resources, to establish a common culture to safeguard youth. He also promised the Catholics of Savoie that he was fully committed to them.