A defrocked priest who’s at the center of a sex abuse lawsuit gave dramatic testimony in an eastern Iowa court this (Wednesday) morning. Ex-priest James Janssen is being sued by his nephew, James Wells of Bettendorf. Wells says his uncle — the priest — abused him when he was a boy in the 1950s and ’60s. Lawyer Craig Levien (luh-VEEN’) put the ex-priest on the witness stand and asked Janssen if he had been “holy.” “God decides that,” Janssen said. “But you admit that you abused Jim Wells, don’t you?” the lawyer then said. “If he says that, I am not contesting it,” the ex-priest replied. “That certainly is not a holy act, is it?” the lawyer pressed. “No,” Janssen said. Janssen’s nephew has filed a civil lawsuit against the ex-priest. Wells says the abuse led to years of depression. The ex-priest has testified that he did not recall the specifics, but does not dispute Wells’ recollections of sexual abuse.
