World Latvian Lutheran Church dismisses pastor Rolands Eimanis after new facts emerge in abuse case
The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad has dismissed pastor Rolands Eimanis, ruling his conduct harmful to the Church, after new facts surfaced regarding sexual abuse allegations that emerged this summer.
The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad (LELBP) has decided to dismiss pastor Rolands Eimanis from his duties, following public allegations this summer that he sexually abused underage girls. The decision was made at an LELBP Presidium meeting on September 10 and took effect immediately.
Church leadership based the decision on a provision in its bylaws allowing dismissal of clergy for conduct harmful to the Church. The Presidium said the ruling rested not only on allegations made public in the summer but also on additional, previously unknown information about the pastor that has recently come to light. The Church has not disclosed specifics of the newly revealed facts, since Presidium sessions are closed.
Allegations and investigation
In June, two women told the Delfi news portal that as children and teenagers in the early 2000s, they were sexually exploited by Eimanis while involved in congregational life in Baldone. One of the women reported the matter to State Police, which declined to open a criminal case due to the statute of limitations. Eimanis publicly denied exploiting or seducing anyone this summer but did not substantively answer other questions.
The women also pointed to the pastor's marijuana use, linking it to a 2018 police discovery of a marijuana growing operation in Baldone, for which a person was convicted at the time. Former Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church archbishop Jānis Vanags confirmed he had known about Eimanis's drug use and had received reports of moral misconduct, which previously led to his divorce and reassignment from Riga to a provincial parish.
Church career
Born in 1968, Eimanis was ordained in 1995 and served the Mežaparks and Baldone congregations before later heading the Luther Academy, which trains new pastors. In 2019 he emigrated to Germany, joined LELBP, and ministered to Latvian congregations in several German cities, also becoming known as an author of spiritual reflection materials.
