Officials reported no warnings before priest’s alleged crimes reached court

LRT reports that local administrative heads received no complaints or warnings about a Vilnius Archdiocese priest accused of crimes against 11 children and young people over a period that allegedly lasted 23 years.

Prosecutors have transferred the case to court against Tadas Švedavičius, who is accused of offences involving children and young people aged between 12 and 18. The heads of the districts where he served said they had neither received complaints nor heard rumours about possible crimes.

Justas Laucius, chief prosecutor at the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office, declined to disclose the priest’s surname, saying he was not a public figure. However, public records show that prosecutors have seized property belonging to Tadas Švedavičius.

The seizure covers a flat in Vilnius, two plots of land in the Širvintos district and a jointly owned homestead with land in the same district. Laucius said the restrictions were imposed because the case includes civil claims.

Švedavičius was ordained as a priest on June 29, 2001, when he was 31. He served for most of his career in southeastern Lithuania, including Šalčininkai, Rūdiškės, Paluknys and Kalesninkai. He was dismissed in December 2025 without being appointed to another position.

He may have served in the Rūdiškės parish for about 13 years and was also parish priest in Paluknys for part of that time. Around 2017, he began serving in the Kalesninkai parish, where he remained for about eight years.

Petras Sabaliauskas, head of the Rūdiškės administrative district, told LRT that he had received no complaints and had heard nothing negative from local residents.

“I am a local resident, but from what I have heard, seen and observed while attending church, I did not notice anything unusual and I heard nothing from the people,” Sabaliauskas said.

He described the priest as slow, reserved and mysterious rather than outgoing or confrontational. Sabaliauskas said the altar servers at the church changed over time, although some served for several years before continuing their studies.

Julija Virganavičienė, head of the Paluknys administrative district, declined to comment, citing the ongoing pre-trial investigation.

Danuta Vilbik, head of the Kalesninkai administrative district, said she learned about the accusations on Tuesday and knew nothing else about them. She said the priest had not worked in Kalesninkai for eight months.

According to Laucius, 11 people have been recognised as victims in the case. They were aged between 12 and 18 when the alleged offences took place, and investigators identified 34 suspected criminal episodes.

The priest is accused in two cases of possessing pornographic material depicting a child, in at least 13 cases of involving a child in drinking alcohol and in nine episodes of exploiting a child for pornography.