Grušas says Church can rebuild public trust after abuse scandal

Vilnius Archbishop Gintaras Grušas says he believes public trust in the Catholic Church can eventually be rebuilt as Lithuania grapples with a clergy sexual abuse scandal, LRT reported.

“We will talk to people. I think we will restore that trust. But after events like these, it takes time,” Grušas told reporters this week.

The Prosecutor General’s Office last week sent to court a case in which Vilnius Archdiocese priest Tadas Švedavičius is accused of 34 sexual offences against children allegedly committed over more than 20 years.

A related criminal case involves another Vilnius Archdiocese priest, Ryšardas Peciunas, who has been charged with possessing pornographic material.

The cases have raised questions about whether the Church’s preventive mechanisms failed, whether they are effective enough and how the clergy community could have remained unaware of the alleged crimes.

Mykolas Sotničenka, a priest and representative of the Vilnius Archdiocese’s administrative office, told the ELTA news agency that it had received no reports about the priests’ alleged crimes from members of the communities in the parishes where they served or from the alleged victims themselves.

“The archdiocese was informed about both pre-trial investigations by the prosecution. Before receiving that information, the archdiocese had received no signals about these cases,” the archdiocese said in a response to ELTA.

It said that, after receiving reliable information from prosecutors, it cooperated with law enforcement, began procedures required under canon law, informed the Holy See and removed both priests from their positions and priestly ministry.

Both priests had served in more than one parish under the Vilnius Archdiocese. According to the archdiocese, Švedavičius was appointed pastor of the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Dubičiai in June 2025 while retaining his other duties. He was dismissed from that position six months later, on December 19.

Asked why the dismissal was not publicly announced, the archdiocese said information about a priest’s place of service is updated on its official website, while separate notices are not usually issued for each individual appointment or transfer.

The archdiocese also said that moving a priest from one parish to another is a normal practice and does not by itself indicate problems in the previous parish or disciplinary action against the priest.