We understand that an accusation is not yet a court verdict, and the final legal assessment of the circumstances must be provided by competent authorities. However, the very fact that such accusations have been made and are being investigated obliges us to ask why this happens, what to do next – what does this reality reveal to us about our responsibility? What is being done and are we doing everything to protect the most vulnerable? What do we need to change to make our Church communities truly safe?
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The Church cannot be indifferent to human suffering. Especially when we talk about a child or a vulnerable person who cannot defend themselves. No authority, no ministry, and no institutional reputation can be more important than human dignity and safety.
Therefore, today we want to sincerely apologize to all who have experienced violence, exploitation, humiliation, or other harm within the Church environment. We also apologize to those whose pain was not heard, who lacked attention, sensitivity, or an appropriate response. We know that an apology alone is not enough. An apology must turn into responsibility and concrete decisions, openness, and ongoing cooperation so that such experiences do not repeat.
First of all, we must think about those who have been hurt. We must all understand that protecting children and vulnerable persons is not a secondary matter; it is a test of our faith and our humanity. Here the Church clearly states: no spiritual authority, no institutional reputation can ever be more important than the person who has been hurt.
We want to sincerely apologize to all who have experienced violence, exploitation, humiliation, or other harm within the Church environment.
If a child has been exploited, we must first see the child. If a person has been hurt, we must first hear their pain. If a crime has been committed, the truth must first be clarified, it must be investigated; if a mistake was made, it must be acknowledged. And if a priest committed the crime, his priesthood is not a shield from responsibility. If there are reasonable suspicions of criminal activity, we must seek the truth and cooperate with competent authorities.
The truth is the path to healing, justice, and trust. Therefore, in light of recent days, we want to once again address everyone: do not remain silent when you see evil. Do not remain silent when there is justified concern about the safety of a child or a vulnerable person. Do not be afraid to report, seek help, and look for responsible solutions. Silence born of fear, indifference, or the desire to protect the institution’s name cannot be stronger than the duty to protect a person.
Creating a safe environment in the Archdiocese of Kaunas did not start today in response to recent events. It is a process that has been consistently developed for several years, aimed not only at properly responding to possible violations but primarily at creating a Church culture where there is no place for violence, exploitation, harassment, and disrespectful behavior.
On November 21, 2025, the Safe Environment Committee was established in the Archdiocese of Kaunas. The Committee’s task is to systematically create, implement, and coordinate safe environment measures in all archdiocesan communities, institutions, and pastoral areas.
The Committee helps implement Church teachings and legal norms to protect minors and vulnerable persons from violence, exploitation, and disrespectful behavior. Its work includes prevention, developing safe environment policies and procedures, training, assisting communities, and responsibly responding to reports of possible violations.
The Committee’s activities are based on principles of transparency, responsibility, and cooperation. Committee members meet regularly to ensure this work is continuous and not a one-time reaction to emerging problems. The Safe Environment Committee of the Archdiocese of Kaunas consists of Vaida Spangelevičiūtė-Kneižienė, Giedrė Aukščiūnienė, Gerda Laurinavičienė, Gedas Malinauskas, Goda Tikniūtė, Kęstutis Žižys, Mons. Artūras Jagelavičius, and Mons. Augustinas Paulauskas. The Committee brings together diverse professional experiences – specialists in social work and child protection, a psychologist-psychotherapist, a teacher, and Church representatives. Such a concentration of different competencies helps to look at safe environment issues from various perspectives, sensitively hear the person, and responsibly seek the best solutions.
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Even before the Committee was established, a working group of specialists and volunteers operated in the Archdiocese of Kaunas, seeking the best solutions for ensuring a safe environment and their application to the church environment. Cooperation was established with specialists from the Maltese Church, whose experience in the field of safe environment is recognized internationally by the Vatican.
In the fall of 2025, representatives of the Archdiocese of Kaunas participated in training in Malta, and on January 20–21, 2026, Maltese experts came to Kaunas and conducted training at the Archdiocese of Kaunas Curia. The training was attended by archdiocesan priests, employees of institutions and parishes, volunteers, bishops, and members of the Safe Environment Committee. Topics included the protection of minors and vulnerable adults, prevention, response to possible violations, assistance to victims, and creating a culture of safe environment. In June 2026, representatives of the Safe Environment Committee of the Archdiocese of Kaunas also participated in a global conference held in Rome dedicated to creating a safe environment and protecting minors.
Currently, based on the experience of the Maltese Church Safe Environment Commission (Safeguarding Commission), a document is being finalized that will become an important part of the safe environment policy of the Archdiocese of Kaunas. The Vatican Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, also called Tutela Minorum) officially recognized and highly evaluated the Maltese Church Safe Environment Commission (Safeguarding Commission) in its annual report. Its guidelines and activities were called exemplary and recommended for application by other Bishops’ Conferences worldwide.
However, we want to clearly say: a safe environment is not just a document, a Committee, or a procedure. It is a culture created by all of us. It begins with the ability to notice, hear, respond with concern, and take responsibility.
Therefore, we invite not only to wait for changes but to create them together. We invite priests, pastoral workers, volunteers, parents, and all community members to be vigilant, to talk about what causes concern, and not to remain silent when seeing possible evil.
If you have information about possible exploitation, violence, or other serious violations of minors or vulnerable persons in the church environment, we invite you to contact the Safe Environment Committee of the Archdiocese of Kaunas by email at saugiaplinka@kaunoarkivyskupija.lt.
However, we also want to clearly say that a person always has the right to choose the safest way of help for themselves. If for any reason they do not want or cannot turn to responsible Church persons, we encourage them to contact the police or other competent state authorities directly. Especially in cases where there is a threat to a person’s safety or suspected criminal activity, contacting law enforcement is a responsible and completely understandable step. The Church respects a person’s right to seek help where they feel safest.
Contacting and talking about this is not an attack on the Church. On the contrary – it is caring for its people and its mission. Today we need more vigilance and sensitivity to human suffering. We must be determined to recognize what is evil and change what we must change.
Faith calls us to seek the truth, defend the weakest, and take responsibility. Therefore, we want to walk this path together – to jointly create a culture of safe environment in our communities.
May our Church communities become places where every person, especially a child and a vulnerable person, is heard, respected, loved, and safe.
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