„I think the Church leaders can decide on the necessity of such an investigation. State governance is separate from Church governance, these are completely separate areas,“ the Prime Minister told journalists on Friday.
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„We live in a state governed by law, we have legal processes, and it is questionable whether state politicians should interfere in the decisions of Church hierarchs. These are their decisions and they should respond to the expectations of society,“ added M. Sinkevičius.
Meanwhile, Vilnius Archbishop Metropolitan Gintaras Grušas says that it is not yet the right time to conduct an independent large-scale investigation that would determine the extent of sexual abuse in the Lithuanian Catholic Church in recent decades.
G. Grušas does not rule out that such a historical investigation could be conducted in the future, but says that currently the main focus should be on protecting potential victims and preventing crimes.
As BNS wrote, this summer two priests’ cases were handed over to the courts, in which the clergymen are accused of sexual crimes against children.
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Priest Tadas Švedavičius is accused of sexual crimes against 11 minors. According to law enforcement data, 34 criminal episodes were recorded – from forcing children to consume alcohol to their sexual assault. The crimes were committed over 23 years – from 2002 to 2025. This case was handed over to the Vilnius District Court for trial.
In another case transferred to the Vilnius City District Court, another priest – Ryšardas Peciunas – is accused of possession of child pornography; there are no victims in this case.
After these accusations, there has been renewed active discussion about the need to establish a public register of sexual offenders in Lithuania.
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