(LITHUANIA)
LRT [Vilnius, Lithuania]
August 20, 2026
By BNS
Vilnius Archbishop Gintaras Grušas said Wednesday that the time was not yet right for an independent, large-scale investigation into the extent of sexual abuse in Lithuania’s Catholic Church over recent decades. His comments follow two high-profile cases against catholic priests suspected of sexual child abuse.
Grušas said the church’s priority should instead be establishing systems to prevent abuse, protect potential victims and help those who have been harmed.
“I do not think the time is right. And I still do not think we have grown into that,” Grušas told the 15min.lt news portal. “The focus now must be on a system to prevent potential crimes. This must be the priority – to be able to help victims and stop crimes.”
He was responding to a proposal made three years ago by a group of lay Catholics to establish an independent commission to investigate sexual abuse in the Lithuanian Catholic Church.
Grušas acknowledged that such an investigation could have value, noting that similar inquiries have been conducted in Australia, the United States and several European countries. But he said consultations with other bishops’ conferences and the Vatican had convinced him that a historical investigation should not be the church’s first step.
“Yes, there is logic in that,” Grušas said. “But even in the places you mentioned, those investigations were not all successful.”
“The first step, I am convinced, is to create a system that protects potential victims,” he added.
Grušas did not rule out a broader historical investigation in the future, saying the issue was partly one of resources and priorities.
“It seems to me to be a question of resources – where we focus our attention today,” he said. “I do not think everything can happen in parallel. Attention now must be focused on protection, and more general investigations are a matter for the future.”
The comments come amid renewed scrutiny of sexual abuse in Lithuania’s Catholic Church.
This summer, cases involving two priests accused of sexual crimes were referred to the courts. Priest Tadas Švedavičius is accused of sexual crimes against 11 minors, with investigators identifying 34 alleged criminal episodes between 2002 and 2025.
In a separate case, priest Ryšardas Peciunas has been accused of possessing child pornography. No victims have been identified in that case.
The allegations have also intensified debate in Lithuania over whether the country should establish a public registry of convicted sex offenders.
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