The review by consultant social worker Jan Pickles, and commissioned by the abbey, documents horrific abuse taking place from the late 1960s to 1992 of children, some living on the island and some visiting with their families.
Many complained at the time about what had happened but were disbelieved, disregarded or the abuse was covered up.
Fr Thaddeus Kotik, born in Poland and who obtained British citizenship in 1959, died in 1992 without being called to account for any of his crimes.
“Victim testimonies from the 1970’s suggest TK to have been a serial and prolific abuser of children, often in ‘plain sight’ of others,” the report says.
“The victims describe being taken by him to beaches, woods, gardens, an old container or building which had fallen into disrepair and waiting for them leaving school. Some describe being sexually abused several times a day in the summer months. A visitor to the Island described seeing TK making a ‘bee line’ for them as they arrived from the mainland and carrying a five year old girl around the island and being challenged by islanders to put the child down – this Reviewer has seen photographs of TK inappropriately holding the child concerned. TK’s interest in children was not hidden from view, and it appears to have been tolerated by adults on the Island.”
A victim told his parish priest in the confessional of his abuse at TK’s hands.
Fr Higham was the parish priest at his local church from 1972 until 2004, passing away a year later in 2005, the review says. “001 states Fr Higham warned him very forcefully that he should not repeat what he said to anyone and that if he were to tell anyone of his abuse that ‘he would suffer terrible punishment and be sent to Hell’,” the review reports.
Another victim told her aunt what was happening and the monk accused the aunt of being “evil” for trying to keep the child away from him.
The review recommends that the public-facing business of tourist attraction and the abbey be separated as legal entities with separate governance and management structures. To protect all parties, contact between the monastic community and the visiting public must be formalised and all informal contact should cease. “Should a member of the public seek pastoral or religious advice or require support they should be referred to their parish priest,” the review says.
Fr Jan Rossey, Abbot of Caldey Abbey, said: “It is with deep sorrow and regret that I have read in the review of the great suffering of children who were abused by Father Thaddeus Kotik and the closed culture of secrecy and cover-up which kept this hidden.
“It is clear opportunities were missed to stop the abuse of children. It is particularly heartbreaking to hear children spoke up to adults and no action was taken.
“Children and their families were failed when they should have been supported and listened to. The abuses should have been reported to the statutory authorities.
“On behalf of the monastic community, I sincerely apologise to all those who have been hurt and have suffered because of the abuse of Thaddeus Kotik and past failures in not protecting children and their families. It is particularly odious when abuse is committed and hidden by people who are in positions of trust because of their monastic or priestly vocation.”
He added: “Since becoming the new Abbot on Caldey Island in 2023 I have been determined to create a culture of openness and transparency. I want to take ownership and responsibility for past failings. I want to ensure we learn lessons from the mistakes in the past and create a safer environment for everyone.
“It is for these reasons that I commissioned an independent review into historical claims of child abuse on the island. The first step to healing is listening. It is important that those who may have been harmed in any way have a voice and are heard.”