Pope Francis has in recent years broken silence about sexual abuse cases inside the Catholic Church worldwide. In Lithuania, there have been individual reports about misconduct by priests, though nothing to suggest a systemic problem. Still, many victims choose to remain silent.
In 2016, Dainius Černas accused priest Juozapas Antanavičius of sexually abusing him back in 1992, when he was 17 years old. The man complained to the Diocese of Penevėžys in northern Lithuania, but there was not enough evidence of the alleged crimes.
Two years ago, Archbishop of Vilnius Gintaras Grušas announced that the deceased clergyman Vadas Petraitis could have abused another priest, Kęstutis Ralys, when he was a child. After the investigation, Grušas invited people to report crimes by the clergy not only to the Church authorities, but also to law enforcement institutions.
However, many victims prefer to remain silent or at least anonymous, according to Paulius Subačius, a professor at Vilnius University.
“People write anonymous letters. But they rarely agree to come to the bishop in person, say their name, and explain the circumstances of the crime,” Subačius said. “I know of cases when [the Church] reacted to anonymous complaints and tried to find victims, but they never responded.”
Read more: Pastor in Lithuania found guilty of disseminating child pornography
The Lithuanian Catholic Church will also hand over to the Vatican the details of a recent investigation into two priests accused of sharing child pornography. The probe found that the pastor of Macaičiai parish Alionidas Budrius exchanged pornographic photos online with vicar Dainius Matiukas.
Moreover, last week the Holy See sanctioned the Lithuanian-born Polish cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz for covering up for a priest convicted for child abuse in the diocese of Wrocław in Poland.
Gulbinowicz often visited Lithuania, participated in bishops’ ordinations and other ceremonies. He is also an honorary citizen of Vilnius District. This episode shows that problem is closer to home than many Lithuanians might think, according to Subačius.
Read more: Vilnius District shuns calls to ‘condemn’ cardinal sanctioned for paedophilia
‘Unprecedented’ reforms
In November, the Holy See published a report on the ousted American Cardinal Theodore McCarrick who sexually abused minors and adults. He is the highest-ranking figure in the Catholic Church who has been removed from the clergy.
The detailed report is the latest evidence of Pope Francis’ attempts to tackle the problem of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church that has been ignored or hidden for many years.
In May 2019, Pope Francis also issued a document, a so-called motu proprio, obliging bishops to report all allegations of priests’ sexual abuse or its cover-up to church authorities, though not necessarily to secular authorities.
“In recent year, four cardinals were ousted or forced to resign not only for [sexual abuses], but also for a lack of financial transparency,” Subačius said. “Such reforms have not happened before. This is an unprecedented process.”
Pope Francis' reforms could also lead to more sexual abuse cases being revealed in Lithuania, according to Subačius.
“I don’t think there could be many cases [of child abuse in Lithuania], but some cases could come to light,” he said.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
