Scott Peyton joined the Anglicans after the crime against his son. Then the Catholic church officially expelled him
The Roman Catholic church has upheld the excommunication of a Louisiana deacon who resigned from the clergy after a priest molested his son.
Scott Peyton learned of the decision by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) – the Vatican entity in charge of Catholic clerical discipline – on Friday in a meeting with the bishop of the diocese of Lafayette, J Douglas Deshotel. The DDF cited technical grounds in rejecting Peyton’s appeal, saying he had joined an Anglican congregation, “published [that] fact … on social media” and therefore refused to submit to the Catholic pope, who since May 2025 has been Leo XIV.
I honestly don’t understand how people even go to organized religion anymore. I’m atheist, but religion is a personal thing, and not seeing all these churches for what they are is absolutely absurd.
What I wantï to know is: was the perpetrator at least excommunicated too?
Meanwhile, Goldstein’s statement said that Deshotel on Friday admitted that the abusive clergyman who preyed on Peyton’s son – the imprisoned Michael Guidry – remained in the Catholic priesthood.
I guess not. At least he’s in prison; that’s an important improvement over such cases in the past. But why let him continue to be a priest, while excommunicating the victim?
There is still a lot wrong in US Catholicism. (The decision seems to be local, not from Rome. Perhaps Leo should excommunicate the people who made this decision.)
Centralized religions can’t tolerate dissent, no matter what. If you (claim to) hold the only truth backed up by a deity, then you almost have to be draconian about it.
That’s also why religion is shit.
They don’t HAVE to be this way. Religion, as a whole, can and does do great things for people worldwide; it’s when they start to view themselves and their doctrine as the ONLY one that is correct and therefore everyone who doesn’t deserves conversion or death, that’s where problems start to arise. Or rather, the problems have probably already started for whatever reason and they turn themselves into extremists as a strategy but you get my point. Plus, most of the time, when you reach that point, the religion in question has usually been co-opted by a political movement who wants to USE the faith to greater or lesser degrees to accomplish their goals.
Roman Catholicism is just a particularly good example of the draconian aspect you mentioned because for most of it’s history it WAS a political entity and yeah, capital-S States tend to frown upon dissent in any form. Fun fact, the term “Catholic” is derived from an old Greek word that roughly translates to ‘universal’ or ‘regarding the whole’ and has been used by basically every denomination at one point or another to say ‘I’m the correct version’. Eastern religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, etc, TEND to be less overtly problematic than their Western counterparts (although they’re still far from perfect), but I think it’s safe to say that the geopolitical and cultural histories of each region have a greater effect on the religion in question rather than vice versa. But that’s something we could (and have) debate for literal centuries
But yeah, even though on a scale from 0-10 of ‘how religious one is’ I’m probably at like a 0.1, or even lower, I still firmly believe (ha) that if someone can find peace or community or whatever else they’re looking for in their life through religion, I say let 'em go for it (as long as nobody gets hurt or has their liberties infringed, obviously)
Guidry, 83, was later treated to a farewell lunch by his church – for which the Lafayette diocese was forced to apologize
They had a going away party for a child molester.
The guy didn’t expect them to reverse the excommunication, and neither would I, but it’s really an unnecessary thing to add as a cherry on top of the church failing this family. I don’t know why he’d care considering everything else, but I’m not religious so I don’t expect to fully understand anyway.
I think all child molesters should get going-away parties and never be seen again.
And gifts of lead.
The Catholic Church has known about, and tolerated, systemic molestation of young boys for CENTURIES. Many of those young boys grew up to become priests, who molested the next generation. It has been a major recruitment tool for many centuries. Without it, what do they have to entice young men into the priesthood? Celibacy has never been a strong selling point.
But if you can troll through the young boys, you’ll find a few who are into it, and quickly get recruited and indoctrinated, and they understand that as priests, they can indulge their hobby for their entire lives. It’s an effective recruiting scheme that historically probably accounts for 20% or more of their ranks, so why would the church want to stop it?
Meanwhile, Goldstein’s statement said that Deshotel on Friday admitted that the abusive clergyman who preyed on Peyton’s son – the imprisoned Michael Guidry – remained in the Catholic priesthood.
Peyton said he understood Guidry was suspended from being able to publicly minister. He also cited comments Guidry made at a public hearing where he unsuccessfully requested parole, during which he talked about providing spiritual direction while incarcerated and considering himself to still be a priest.
“That is the scandal,” Peyton said in his statement on Sunday. “That’s the contradiction.”
I have to agree with Peyton here that that’s the contradiction in this story. Ironically, Peyton’s actions necessitate a jure excommunication within the laws of the church, as being a minister of the Catholic Church and then publicly saying “I’m going to another denomination”, regardless of reason, is refusal to submit to the Pope – where apostasy is basically the stereotypical excommunication ground. (The excommunication could be simply undone upon him wanting to go back to Catholicism.)
Meanwhile, the child rapist’s actions ironically may not because it doesn’t violate any of the latae sententiae* excommunication reasons. (Of course, though, trying to make a woman a deacon, is one. lmao) This would be ferendae sententiae, but it’s presumable that the priest repented to the Church/God/whatever once this came to light, where excommunication is strictly a tool designed to encourage repentance.
For some context, excommunication within the fiction of Christianity isn’t anything like “you won’t get into Heaven”; it’s that you can no longer receive the sacraments of the Catholic Church. It’s what’s called a “medicinal” penalty, i.e. not designed to punish or rebuke past behavior but strictly hoping to hasten repentance. Basically, it’s a tool of “nooooo, please don’t excommunicate me! I neeeeed that yummy bread circle!” Excommunications are made with the hope they’ll be undone. Thus, if the person is already penitent, the tool isn’t going to have its sole intended effect.
What’s completely fucked here is that the priest is only “suspended” from practicing; it’s gross there’s a chance he’ll ever practice again. And the fact he “still considers himself a priest” makes it even worse and shows a lack of penitence. That crosses a line from the technicalities of Catholic law and its emphasis on forgiveness and loyalty to “quit protecting rapists, Vatican”.
* Latae sententiae excommunication means the excommunication happens automatically upon perpetration, because you’ve broken a short list of presumed-known rules. I.e. even if no one ever finds out, you’ve been excommunicated the whole time until you confess and repent. Ferendae sententiae means judgment needs to be brought first and then announced before you’re excommunicated.
Yeah, the clickbait title is leaving out a pretty key piece of info. I thought he was excommunicated because he caused a stink, but no, it’s because he broke the rules by joining another denomination.
I mean, it’s still a stupid rule, but it seems that his excommunication wasn’t retaliatory or malicious.
Excellent comment, thank you for taking the time to write it. I wrote a more superficial “why” of it elsewhere, but you actually brought canon. Well said.
Just a reminder that, for all the nice speeches Francis and Leo made, the Catholic church is still the Catholic church.
If your reaction, as a religious organisation, to someone resigning after their child gets molested by someone within your religious organisation is to excommunicate that person, you’re part of the problem.
The vatican isn’t part of the problem they’re the source.
Yes, Pedophilia was invented by Pope Pedo III in 1167, everyone knows that /s
Catholic priest child molestation is just a new normal since the initial shock subsided and nothing changed.
Other new normals: School shootings Epstein style child sex abuse resorts
Here’s your signal to renounce religion, fool.
Random old white creep still mad at old white karen, both still believe in the wish-granting genie inthe sky, more at 11 jim.
My god has a bigger dick than your god.
Why would the church want a John Wick / Constantine crossover in real life?
Nothing says “sorry for your son’s molestation” like an excommunication of a victim. Whichever nitwit palace-mandarin in the catholic church bureaucracy thought this would be a smart PR move needs to be relocated to a nice little chapel at the south pole. They just made this a news story to satisfy a petty fit of pique. If there isnt a catholic chapel at the south pole its time to build one.
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He had six kids? Aren’t Catholic clergy meant to be celibate?
Permanent deacons (ie a deacon who is not going to be a priest) can indeed be married.
But they have to marry first iirc
yes. unmarried are usually convinced to become priests.
Permanent Deacons can be in pre-existing marriages upon ordination.
