LONDON (ENGLAND)
Catholic Herald
November 23, 2017
The abbot of Caldey has said he is “truly sorry” that allegations of child sexual abuse made against a monk were not passed on to police.
Daniel van Santvoort acknowledged that allegations made against Fr Thaddeus Kotik should have been reported to authorities, and apologised for any harm caused to alleged victims.
The monk, who died in 1992, allegedly abused at least nine children during the 1970s and 80s. He was a member of the Trappist community that is situated on the island of Caldey, off the coast of southern Wales.
Abbot van Santvoort said in a statement on the island’s Facebook page that the community felt “great sadness and regret”.
“Any allegations of child abuse should be reported to the appropriate authorities and investigated,” he said. “This clearly did not happen and we apologise.”
“The claimed abuses took place between 1971 and 1987. At this time, the present Caldey Abbey community was not on the island, a fact which exacerbated the difficulties of the claims,” he added.
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