Pope grants accused Lithuanian priest’s request to leave clergy

Pope Francis has granted Tadas Švedavičius’s request to be dismissed from the clerical state, but the move does not end criminal proceedings against him, LRT reported.

Švedavičius has lost his status as a cleric and his church authorities, and can no longer perform priestly duties, the Vilnius Archdiocese said. He may not celebrate Mass or administer sacraments that require priestly ordination, except for absolving the sins of a person in danger of death.

The priest was suspended from his duties after allegations involving sexual abuse of children, possession of pornography and involving children in alcohol consumption. He requested dismissal from the priesthood from the Holy See and also accepted personal responsibility for compensating those harmed, the archdiocese said.

In August, prosecutors announced that they had referred Švedavičius’s case to court, with charges concerning alleged criminal acts against minors.

The archdiocese urged anyone who has experienced sexual abuse or other inappropriate conduct in a church setting, or has information about such cases, to report it to law enforcement and contact its service for listening to people who have experienced abuse. The archdiocese said its next safe-environment training session is scheduled for October 27 in Vilnius.