Lithuania’s justice minister is calling for renewed efforts to establish a public registry of people convicted of sexual offenses against children after prosecutors announced cases against two priests this week.
Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė said Thursday that such a registry could strengthen monitoring and prevention measures and help protect children from repeat offenses.
“In my view as justice minister, the time has come to return to this idea and look for solutions that would help protect children even better,” Tamašunienė said in a statement. “We fully support making such data public.”
She said authorities should continue monitoring people convicted of sexual offenses even after they have served their sentences, arguing that this would strengthen the state’s role in preventing repeat offenses.
Social Security and Labour Minister Inga Ruginienė has also expressed support for the idea.
Lithuania’s parliament, Seimas, gave initial approval in 2024 to legislation that would establish a registry of suspects, defendants and people convicted of crimes against children’s sexual self-determination and inviolability.
Under the proposal, the registry would consist of a restricted database containing information that could be provided to courts, law enforcement agencies and other institutions when permitted by law, as well as a public database listing information about people convicted of the offenses. The public database would be available for viewing online.
The government issued a negative opinion on the proposal in March 2025.
The issue has returned to the spotlight after prosecutors announced this week that two cases involving priests accused of sexual offenses against children had been referred to court.
One priest is accused of sexual offenses against 11 minors. Law enforcement authorities allege 34 alleged criminal episodes committed over 23 years, from 2002 to 2025. His case was transferred to the Vilnius Regional Court.
In the second case, another priest is accused of possessing child pornography. There are no identified victims in that case, which was transferred to the Vilnius City District Court.
Tamašunienė said law enforcement authorities must fully investigate the circumstances and, above all, ensure that victims’ rights are protected and that they receive compensation for the harm caused.
She said the recent cases had shocked many people but urged the public to distinguish individual cases from the broader community of priests.
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