Abbot of Caldey Island off Tenby issues statement

©caldeyislandwales.com

Transcript

00:00It is with deep sorrow and regret that I have read the review of the great suffering of

00:07children who were abused by Father Thaddeus Kotik and the closed culture of secrecy and

00:14cover-up which kept this hidden.

00:17It is clear opportunities were missed to stop the abuse of children.

00:23It is particularly heartbreaking to hear how children spoke up to adults and no action

00:28was taken.

00:31Children and their families were failed when they should have been supported and listened

00:35to.

00:36The abuses should have been reported to the statutory authorities.

00:43On behalf of the community, I sincerely apologize to all those who have been hurt and have suffered

00:51because of the abuse of Thaddeus Kotik and past failures in not protecting children and

00:57their families.

00:59It is particularly odious when abuse is committed and hidden by people who are in positions

01:06of trust because of their monastic or priestly vocation.

01:12Since becoming the new abbot of Kaldi Island in 2023, I have been determined to create

01:20a culture of openness and transparency, and I want to take ownership and responsibility

01:26for past failings.

01:28I want to ensure we learn lessons from the mistakes in the past and create a safer environment

01:35for everyone.

01:36It is for those reasons that I have commissioned an independent review into historical claims

01:44of child abuse on the island.

01:47The first step to healing is listening.

01:50It is important that those who may have been harmed in any way have a voice and are heard.

01:57Since becoming abbot, I have ensured that many safeguarding improvements have been put

02:03in place.

02:05These are detailed in the review.

02:08I have also reached out through Jan Pickles to everyone who gave evidence offering to

02:14meet with them in person, to apologize, to offer support, and to thank them for their

02:22courage.

02:23I thank everyone who bravely came forward to give evidence of their experience to the

02:29review.

02:30And I promise that I will do my utmost to prevent abuse from happening again on Kaldi

02:37Island.