„It comes as a shock to all of us – to the clergy, the Church community and the whole of Lithuania – to be faced with such a crisis involving systemic failure. I am very grateful to the entire law enforcement and prosecution service for uncovering and bringing this whole situation to light,“ the Archbishop of Vilnius told LRT Radio on Thursday.
„This shows us all that it is very important for everyone to be vigilant and to recognise the signs where such things are taking place,“ emphasised Grušas.
In the clergyman’s view, the Church’s support mechanisms are working, but victims often lack the encouragement to speak out.
Susiję straipsniai
„The system is in place; the opportunity exists. We need to understand that it is difficult for the victims themselves; they often feel they have done something wrong (...), but there is encouragement for them to ring up and seek help. And in such cases, I have spoken to more than one victim – not in this particular instance, but in others too – help is available; it is certainly possible and necessary to reach out,“ said Grušas.
„The system is certainly in place, but what is needed – as in other cases – is that encouragement and understanding: there are those helplines where people can reach out and get that help, but they just need to be urged and encouraged to do so,“ he emphasised.
First court hearing in the case of priest Švedavičius; decision on asset freeze to be made
The Vilnius Regional Court will hold the first hearing on Thursday in the criminal case against priest Tadas Švedavičius, who is accused of sexual offences against children. The case itself will not yet be heard, but a decision will be made on the temporary restriction of ownership rights over the defendant’s assets.
The LITEKO court information system states that Judge Audrius Cininas will examine the issue of applying interim measures through written proceedings. Written proceedings mean that the parties to the case are not summoned and do not attend the hearing; therefore, neither the defendant, nor his defence counsel, nor any other parties to the case will appear in court.
Judge Cininas informed ELTA that the deadline is approaching and the court is, on its own initiative, deciding on the extension of the previously imposed temporary restriction on property rights.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office had previously announced that civil claims had been filed in the case, and so the priest’s right to his real estate has also been restricted.
Meanwhile, Gintaras Grušas, Archbishop of Vilnius, states that Švedavičius, who stands accused of sexual offences, has promised to compensate the victims.
„The priest himself is determined to pay compensation; he has promised to set aside money (...). We are now awaiting those specific steps, but he himself has promised to allocate funds to compensate for the damage,“ Grušas told LRT Radio on Thursday.
He had previously stated that Švedavičius had asked to be relieved of his priestly duties.
The clergyman, who served in the Archdiocese of Vilnius, is accused of 34 criminal offences, including the sexual abuse of children, possession of pornographic material and inducing children to drink alcohol. There are 11 victims in the case; at the time the offences were committed, they were aged between 12 and 18. All of the individuals mentioned are now adults.
The courts award victims of sexual offences compensation for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage, as well as legal costs.
For example, Kristijonas Bartoševičius, a former member of the Seimas who was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment, was ordered by the court to pay 32,000 euros in compensation for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage to the victims.
The offences were committed over several decades
It is believed that Švedavičius committed the offences between 2002 and 2025. This case is linked to another criminal case, which was referred to the court at the end of June this year. In that case, charges have been brought against another priest – Ryšardas Peciunas, who served in the Archdiocese of Vilnius, is accused of possessing pornographic material depicting children.
Justas Laucius, Chief Prosecutor of the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office, noted that there is no evidence to suggest that the priests committed the offences together. However, he said that material obtained whilst investigating one case led to a separate investigation.
„Some of the evidence relevant to the other investigation was obtained during one of the investigations, following the conduct of procedural measures. Following these procedural measures, additional circumstances were established, which led to a separate investigation,“ explained the prosecutor.
Laucius did not specify exactly how the information about the alleged offences came to the attention of the law enforcement authorities.
Švedavičius was ordained a priest on 29 June 2001. Last year, he was appointed parish priest of the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Dubičiai, a post he held until 19 December 2025. Before that, he had served in three other parishes in the Trakai and Šalčininkai districts.
Meanwhile, Peciunas was ordained a priest on 21 November 1999. Both he and Švedavičius have, at different times, served in the same parishes: St John the Baptist in Paluknis and the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rūdiškės. Peciunas’s case has been referred to the Vilnius City District Court, whilst the case of Švedavičius, who stands accused of serious crimes, will be heard by the Vilnius Regional Court; a trial date for this case has not yet been set.
According to ELTA, the judge assigned to hear Švedavičius’s case is currently on holiday, so she will schedule the first hearings upon her return in the autumn.