A monk may have been abusing children for four decades on an island off the coast of Wales, despite working under “spectacle” and repeated complaints from victims, an independent review has concluded.
Father Thaddeus Kotik raped, kidnapped and sexually assaulted boys and girls on Caldey Island, which is home to a monastery of Cistercian monks and a popular destination for day trippers.
The guard is revealed in 2017 Kotik, who arrived on the island in the late 1940s, targeted visitors and residents He was not prosecuted before his death in 1992. It was also revealed Other sexual predators had lived on the island.
Through an independent review, 20 victims of child sexual abuse were identified. The Caldey Island Survivors Campaign said the survey was accessed by 55 victims.
The report, which will be published on Tuesday morning but has been seen by the Guardian, says: “There appears to have been a lack of leadership at the highest level in the abbey. There have been serious and frequent allegations of child sexual abuse by TK [Thaddeus Kotik] not reported to the authorities in the law as required by law. “
These “missed opportunities,” the report says, adding: “This apparent reluctance to challenge TK directly to his face has allowed him to stumble over four decades in the face of some of the island’s community.” TK spent significant time with his children, with families at home, adults and children with gifts and attentive worship.
The review, carried out by Jan Pickles, former assistant police and crime commissioner in South Wales, says victims who have been exposed to abuse on the island have been “pervasively lied to with denial, suspicion and assumption… This policy has led to the abbey’s approach being seen by them both directly and indirectly as hostile and cruel.
SALSA highlighted continuing concerns and made a series of recommendations including:
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In order to protect all parties, formal and informal contact between the monastic community and the visiting public ceases – including personal contact.
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Today’s regulations are being strengthened by the addition of survivors or survivors of child sexual abuse sitting on the island.
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The appointment of a designated legal visitation professional is considered safe.
In addition, he says “a decree of clarity expressed by the monastic community” in the educational session in March 2024 about contact with the public, which “suggested a clear” no contact policy” necessary.
The report says: “Any accidental physical contact must be declared by the individual, and must be declared within the day on which it occurred. This comment should be reviewed … and any patterns identified and addressed.
Kevin O’Connell, founder of the Caldey Island Survivors Campaign, welcomed the review but said it had not progressed far enough that its recommendations were not legally binding. He wants a public investigation into the abuse.
The review looked at allegations of sexual and physical abuse of children from the 1960s to 1992. Some victims reported the allegations at the time to the police, the abbey or priests in their home parishes.
Kotik arrived on the island in the late 1940s and his remains were buried there. The review says: “The victim’s testimony…suggests that TK Vide was a prolific abuser of children, often in the “view” of others. Victims describe him going to beaches, forests, and parks.
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“Some describe being sexually abused several times a day … TK’s study was not hidden from view on children, and it seems tolerated by adults on the island.”
Allegations of child sexual abuse by Kotik were brought to the attention of the then-abbot by the family in the 1980s. The report says: “Serious allegations have been made within the abbey and the police have been informed. It is understood that the abbot’s sanction was to protect the children living and visiting Iceland so that TK would remain locked up in the monastery.
“Neither the authorities nor the services of the children are informed. It was in the power of the abbot to request or even demand that TK leave the abbey, and if he did not appear, to remove him from the Cistercian order.
An adult witness saw Kotik sexually assaulting a girl. He wrote to the abbot: “This cannot proceed,” but received no answer. The teacher brought the girl to court, but asked the head abbot not to report the matter to the police, who would have Kotik’s age, health and impact on him.
One of the victims said that the boy had told the pastor in his confession about Kotik’s abuse. The priest warned him that he would be sent to hell if he told anyone.
Allegations surfaced that Kotik had made contact with other agents. four men or convicted or suspected of sexual offences for they remained for considerable periods in Caldey. The review says: “The lack of investigation has left the abbey open to unknown dangers, which seems to the reviewer to be reckless on the journey of the island city that inevitably welcomes others.”
When it announced the withdrawal in April, Caldey Abbey said it was committed to transparency, openness and healing under new leadership. He said the review was ordered with the aim of “building a safe environment for all”.