Residents shaken by paedophilia allegations against Kalesninkai priest

Residents of Kalesninkai said they were shocked by allegations against priest Tadas Švedavičius, who prosecutors say served as pastor of the Vilnius Archdiocese parish in the Šalčininkai district from 2017 until his unexpected dismissal last December, LRT reported.

Local residents said they had noticed nothing suspicious and found it difficult to believe the allegations. Some described Švedavičius as helpful and kind.

“It is a shock to me. I would never have thought it. He was a calm priest and nothing ever happened. I have lived here for many years, so I would have noticed if children had been around him or something like that. There was nothing,” one Kalesninkai resident told LRT.

Another parishioner said she had learned about the allegations only from television and the internet. “I really did not believe it. He was truly a good priest. I do not know how this happened,” she said.

Residents said the allegations had damaged trust in religion and the church. “Perhaps it has been exaggerated, we will live and see, but it certainly struck at faith and trust in the church,” one woman said.

Another parishioner said it was difficult to believe that such things could happen in a church, which is attended by young people. She questioned whether the allegations could be motivated by revenge but added that “something really did happen.”

One resident said the news had particularly shocked parents, who often take their children to church, and suggested that there could be other such cases.

Advocate says the case may point to a wider problem

Kristina Mišinienė, head of the Center Against Trafficking in Human Beings and Exploitation, told LRT Television that the situation reminded her of the case involving a former chancellor of the Vilnius Archdiocese that became public several years ago.

“The thoughts are very difficult. I feel confused, angry and stunned. But I cannot help remembering that a few years ago I and everyone else felt the same way when we discussed the former chancellor of the Vilnius Archdiocese, listened to apologies and promises. And now, after a couple of years, we are going around in the same circle again,” Mišinienė said.

She said the issue involved more than one person who had committed a crime and pointed to a systemic problem within the Catholic Church, which she described as a closed institution.

“We are very pleased with the facts that the prosecution is presenting to the public, but I think this is only the tip of the iceberg,” Mišinienė said. She added that it remained extremely difficult for people who had suffered abuse by clergy to speak out and argued that church institutions were not showing genuine efforts to resolve the problem.