Rytis Baltrušaitis agreed to share his thoughts with the readers of the news portal 15min as well:
What saddens me the most is that a spoonful of tar spoils the whole barrel of honey…
It’s a pity for those priests who quietly, calmly, and devotedly serve people and have to bear shame for which they are not to blame…
Maybe finally there will be care for priests’ psycho-emotional health and professional psychological help provided to those who have various difficulties?
Maybe the “medicine” will no longer be moving from parish to parish until journalists or law enforcement officers get involved.
Unfortunately, health, mental, domestic, and social problems are the responsibility of each individual priest.
I even wonder, if a priest sought help from the superiors, is there a strategy on where to direct them, is there a database of specialists’ contacts? And whose money would be used to get that help if they put their personal funds into church repairs.
A case like today – the names of two priests accused of pedophilia, or rather – the very fact being made public, really hits some priests’ priestly self-esteem, raising questions about what I am doing in this community, how to continue working and being, when it is somewhat uncomfortable to go out into the street even in priestly robes.
Mutual support groups, which other field specialists have, e.g., teachers, could be one of the solutions.
I’m not saying that the pastor doesn’t care about the priest at all, but a calm conversation without judgment, without decision, without moralizing, without reproach would be medicine. An open – father and son, older and younger brother conversation – dialogism. Having time, not staring at the clock.
Simply – a cup of coffee once a year, reviewing, reflecting, believing and trusting. Not fleetingly, not in the corridor, not in the midst of a jubilee celebration.
That the question “what have you done” would change to “how do you live and feel?”
We ourselves have to create that. The magical tablecloth will not descend from the heavens…
