Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius on Thursday called for cooperation from the Catholic Church and answers on whether it took sufficient steps to detect and prevent child sexual abuse after two priests were charged with sexual offenses involving children.
“I expect open and constructive cooperation between the Church and law enforcement, transparency and a readiness to answer not only who may have committed the crimes, but also the vital question of whether sufficient measures were taken in all cases to ensure that potential abuse was detected early, prevented and reported to the responsible authorities,” Sinkevičius said in a Facebook post.
He said the government must also assess whether legal and institutional mechanisms adequately protect children in schools, families, sports organizations, religious institutions and other settings.
“There can be no tolerance for sexual violence against children,” Sinkevičius said, adding that an institution’s reputation cannot be placed above the safety of a person or a child.
He stressed that the cases were not about faith or an attack on the Catholic Church and its followers.
