diff --git a/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/__init__.py b/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/__init__.py
index 3a243e3ef2..3708e7cf4e 100644
--- a/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/__init__.py
+++ b/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/__init__.py
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@
     get_SOMA_version,
     get_storage_engine,
     show_package_versions,
-    verify_core_versions,
+    _verify_core_versions,
 )
 from ._indexer import IntIndexer, tiledbsoma_build_index
 from ._measurement import Measurement
@@ -169,7 +169,10 @@
     tiledbsoma_stats_reset,
 )
 
-verify_core_versions()
+# Ensure TileDB-Py and libtiledbsoma have matching core versions; if they don't, undefined behavior
+# / segfaults may ensue. Once libtiledbsoma is the only "path to core" (cf. #1632), this can be
+# removed.
+_verify_core_versions()
 
 __version__ = get_implementation_version()
 
diff --git a/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/_general_utilities.py b/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/_general_utilities.py
index c37e851121..cf256b34d1 100644
--- a/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/_general_utilities.py
+++ b/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/_general_utilities.py
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ def get_libtiledbsoma_core_version() -> str:
 )
 
 
-def verify_core_versions() -> None:
+def _verify_core_versions() -> None:
     """Verify that the versions of libtiledb used by the `tiledb` Python library and
     libtiledbsoma are the same.
 
@@ -131,4 +131,4 @@ def show_package_versions() -> None:
     print("python version                     ", ".".join(str(v) for v in sys.version_info))
     print("OS version                         ", u.system, u.release)
     # fmt: on
-    verify_core_versions()
+    _verify_core_versions()