Second sexual abuse lawsuit against retired priest

KWQC TV6 website ^ | September 19, 2003 | AP

[Aliska]

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) _ A lawsuit claims the Diocese of Davenport ignored a former Roman Catholic priest's repeated sexual abuse of boys under his supervision which began more than 40 years ago. The suit filed in Scott County District Court seeks unspecified damages from the Rev. James Janssen and the diocese, claiming the diocese refused to take any action when the plaintiff and his mother reported the abuse to church authorities in 1990. Janssen ``engaged in repeated harmful, illegal and immoral sexual contact'' starting about 1953, when the plaintiff was 5 years old, and ending in the summer of 1962, according to the lawsuit. Janssen was a priest in the diocese for more than 40 years, serving as a Boy Scout chaplain from 1980 to 1990, when he retired. It is the second sexual abuse lawsuit filed against Janssen and the fourth against the Diocese of Davenport in the wake of numerous cases of past sex abuse by Catholic priests that have surfaced nationwide since last year, causing American Catholic bishops to revise the church's sex abuse policies. ``All I can tell you is what we've alleged in the petition we believe will be proved in the court,'' said attorney Craig Levien, who also represents a man listed as ``John Doe'' in the similar lawsuit filed against Janssen and the diocese in Clinton County last May. Diocese officials sent a statement stating that Janssen has been ``fully retired'' since 1990 and does not have any diocesan duties

[Aliska]

The Lend a Hand Club has since been torn down. I have happy memories of learning to swim there. My kids went to Children's Theater there.

I had a dream some time in the early nineties about that place, saw about 6 priests lined up in swimming trunks standing on the edge of the pool. Lend-A-Hand. It wasn't connected in any way with the catholic church that I knew. At least one priest had a rosary around his neck like a noose. I thought the dream meant that I was supposed to pray the rosary for priests. This kind of freaks me out when I read some details of this case today.

[madprof98]

There is a group here who will claim that this behavior was somehow caused by Vatican II or by the lax teaching and practices in the American Catholic Church which followed in its wake. But in fact, this episode--like so many others which have come to light--involved priests ordained under a very rigid regime. Sadly, the parents of the young people here thought they were getting Going My Way when they turned their sons over to these monsters.

[conservonator]

I thought the dream meant that I was supposed to pray the rosary for priests.

Maybe it did. Some priests are in desperate need of guidance, conversion, something.

[Aliska]

Abuse of the one victim ended around the time of Vatican II. I never thought Vatican II had anything to do with any of it.

[Aliska]

Maybe it did. Some priests are in desperate need of guidance, conversion, something.

Maybe it did. Maybe it didn't mean anything. They say dreams are more a reflection of what is going on within us rather than anything external. At that time (early 90's), I had no idea that any of this abuse had happened except maybe one or two extremely isolated cases that happened somewhere else.

I'll tell you what they are in need of. Grace from God, but it is only that that can set a disordered mind right again, even if the person can continue functioning normally in other respects.

[Aliska]

There is a group here who will claim that this behavior was somehow caused by Vatican II

I thought I responded once but there was a hiccough somewhere and it disappeared. I never thought Vatican II had anything to do with it and still do not tend to think that, although it is possible that somehow we are being deprived of the necessary graces to grow and be perfected spiritually.