Archdiocese faces questions over accused priest’s parish transfers

The Archdiocese of Vilnius has not disclosed whether one priest accused of sexual crimes was repeatedly transferred between parishes, LRT reported. Public accusations have emerged that the Church may have used such transfers to conceal crimes.

Transfers described as a longstanding problem

While Catholic Church representatives have so far offered limited comments, Rytis Baltrušaitis, the parish priest of Balbieriškis and Naujoji Uta, has spoken publicly about the scandal involving sexual abuse.

Baltrušaitis said a longstanding problem in Lithuania’s dioceses was that priests whose conduct had raised complaints were sent to work in another parish in the hope that the scandal would be forgotten.

“If a priest had a problem, he would be moved to another parish where people did not know him. It was supposed to be a new beginning,” Baltrušaitis said, adding that the practice dated back to a time when the media and the flow of information worked differently.

However, he said such transfers are becoming less common and are not necessarily linked to crimes. Priests may also need help with addictions and psychological problems.

It remains unclear whether priests suspected of crimes were transferred elsewhere as a way of protecting them. Such suspicions were raised this week following a scandal involving two priests who had worked in the Vilnius area.

One of the accused, Tadas Švedavičius, was ordained in 2001 and served in southeastern Lithuania, including Šalčininkai, Rūdiškės, Paluknys and Kalesninkai. He is now suspected of committing crimes over 23 years. The alleged victims included children and other minors.

Archdiocese cites protection of victims

The public outrage has prompted questions about the diocese’s responsibility and accusations that crimes were concealed. The Archdiocese of Vilnius did not comment to LRT on the accusations, citing the protection of victims.

LRT noted that the claims that the archdiocese hid the crimes of a priest under its authority for more than 20 years currently have no supporting evidence.

Paulius Subačius, a historian and professor at Vilnius University, said priests are indeed transferred to other parishes, but such cases are usually linked to intimate relationships, breaches of celibacy, alcohol use or poorly managed finances.

He said a bishop might tell a priest that moving elsewhere would make it easier for him to control himself and avoid a particular woman.

Baltrušaitis said transferring a priest could have a rationale, but it could also be abused. In cases of sexual abuse, he said, priests must be prevented from accessing children and young people.

Kristina Mišinienė, head of the Centre Against Trafficking in Human Beings and Exploitation, said that if such protection of clergy takes place, it would resemble patterns observed in other countries and in other cases involving the sexual abuse of children.

She said institutions might be trying to preserve their reputation when they should instead be protecting victims. Mišinienė warned that moving an alleged abuser could give that person access to more unsuspecting victims.