After son’s abuse, deacon is excommunicated for joining Anglican church

[Michie]

(OSV News) — A permanent deacon in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, whose then-teenage son was molested by the priest he once served alongside, is now excommunicated after leaving his ministry, because he formally left the Catholic Church, according to the recent decree written by his bishop.

“I’m very surprised — I assumed at some point that they would possibly laicize me, but excommunication … that thought never crossed my mind,” Deacon Scott Peyton, who was ordained in 2012 and had served until December 2023, told OSV News. He provided OSV News a digital copy of the March 13 letter he had received from Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of Lafayette.

The document — printed on the bishop’s letterhead, signed by both Bishop Deshotel and the diocesan chancellor, and marked with the diocesan seal — acknowledged Deacon Peyton’s Dec. 4, 2023, email stating what the deacon called his intention to resign from the diaconate and leave the Catholic Church.


“The pain and suffering endured by the victims (of clergy sexual abuse), our family, and most importantly our son, coupled with what appears to be a systemic failure in addressing and preventing such heinous acts, have left me disillusioned and unable to reconcile my commitment to the Church with my conscience,” Deacon Peyton wrote.

Incurring automatic excommunication​

Continued below.

After son's abuse, deacon is excommunicated for joining Anglican church

A permanent deacon in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, whose then-teenage son was molested by the priest he once served alongside, is now excommunicated after leaving his ministry, because he formally left the Catholic Church, according to the recent decree written by his bishop.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

 

[chevyontheriver]

(OSV News) — A permanent deacon in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, whose then-teenage son was molested by the priest he once served alongside, is now excommunicated after leaving his ministry, because he formally left the Catholic Church, according to the recent decree written by his bishop.

“I’m very surprised — I assumed at some point that they would possibly laicize me, but excommunication … that thought never crossed my mind,” Deacon Scott Peyton, who was ordained in 2012 and had served until December 2023, told OSV News. He provided OSV News a digital copy of the March 13 letter he had received from Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of Lafayette.

The document — printed on the bishop’s letterhead, signed by both Bishop Deshotel and the diocesan chancellor, and marked with the diocesan seal — acknowledged Deacon Peyton’s Dec. 4, 2023, email stating what the deacon called his intention to resign from the diaconate and leave the Catholic Church.


“The pain and suffering endured by the victims (of clergy sexual abuse), our family, and most importantly our son, coupled with what appears to be a systemic failure in addressing and preventing such heinous acts, have left me disillusioned and unable to reconcile my commitment to the Church with my conscience,” Deacon Peyton wrote.

Incurring automatic excommunication​

Continued below.

After son's abuse, deacon is excommunicated for joining Anglican church

A permanent deacon in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, whose then-teenage son was molested by the priest he once served alongside, is now excommunicated after leaving his ministry, because he formally left the Catholic Church, according to the recent decree written by his bishop.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

No indication that the snake of a priest has incurred any ecclesiastical penalty. Thankfully he is in prison. But maybe the diocese could have kept the deacon if they had an ecclesial punishment of that snake of a priest. They have effectively punished the victims here. True they have to excommunicate for apostasy of a deacon, but they should have done something before it ever came to that. Shame.

 

[Bob Crowley]

The bishop obviously was not happy that he had to enforce canon law in this instance.

I suppose we can always hope that Scott Peyton might return sometime after he, his wife and family have had time to come to grips with the reality of the offence and be reconciled with the church.

It reminds me of Christ's comment about offending these little ones - Mathew 18:5-7 -

And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!…

 

[chevyontheriver]

The bishop obviously was not happy that he had to enforce canon law in this instance.

I suppose we can always hope that Scott Peyton might return sometime after he, his wife and family have had time to come to grips with the reality of the offence and be reconciled with the church.

It reminds me of Christ's comment about offending these little ones - Mathew 18:5-7 -

There are lots of millstone collars to replace Roman collars.

 

[chevyontheriver]

No indication that the snake of a priest has incurred any ecclesiastical penalty. Thankfully he is in prison. But maybe the diocese could have kept the deacon if they had an ecclesial punishment of that snake of a priest. They have effectively punished the victims here. True they have to excommunicate for apostasy of a deacon, but they should have done something before it ever came to that. Shame.

I found the priest was ‘removed from ministry’ in 2018. I did not find where he was laicized or excommunicated.

I did find that many did not believe that the priest was guilty and that the victim was not believed.

I don’t know how I would remain Catholic if such a thing had happened in my family.

 

[Lady Bug]

I don’t know how I would remain Catholic if such a thing had happened in my family.

I'm not saying that I don't understand that sentiment but (and I say this with all due respect) I don't agree with people who "stop believing in the Catholic faith" when bad apples do their thing. When other religions do this, so many people come out of the woodwork and say "Don't judge its adherents by its extremists or bad characters, look at the beauty of the faith!" but when Catholics or other Christians do things bad, people say "OK I'm not going to be Christian anymore."

 

[prodromos]

The bishop obviously was not happy that he had to enforce canon law in this instance.

Does not the Bishop have the authority to bind and loose?

 

[chevyontheriver]

I'm not saying that I don't understand that sentiment but (and I say this with all due respect) I don't agree with people who "stop believing in the Catholic faith" when bad apples do their thing. When other religions do this, so many people come out of the woodwork and say "Don't judge its adherents by its extremists or bad characters, look at the beauty of the faith!" but when Catholics or other Christians do things bad, people say "OK I'm not going to be Christian anymore."

We all know we shouldn’t judge things by the failures of bad adherents. But I think we all feel that way, that bad adherents have ruined things. It’s a matter of head vs heart perspective, or maybe the heart’s true north vs a magnetic anomaly. Or Satan’s best shot at messing with believers.

Through all of this it is the existence of saints that needs to be a pointer for us, not that some are not saints but that there are any saints at all. And there are some. So I feel how I feel, but those saints show me better.

 

[WarriorAngel]

(OSV News) — A permanent deacon in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, whose then-teenage son was molested by the priest he once served alongside, is now excommunicated after leaving his ministry, because he formally left the Catholic Church, according to the recent decree written by his bishop.

“I’m very surprised — I assumed at some point that they would possibly laicize me, but excommunication … that thought never crossed my mind,” Deacon Scott Peyton, who was ordained in 2012 and had served until December 2023, told OSV News. He provided OSV News a digital copy of the March 13 letter he had received from Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of Lafayette.

The document — printed on the bishop’s letterhead, signed by both Bishop Deshotel and the diocesan chancellor, and marked with the diocesan seal — acknowledged Deacon Peyton’s Dec. 4, 2023, email stating what the deacon called his intention to resign from the diaconate and leave the Catholic Church.


“The pain and suffering endured by the victims (of clergy sexual abuse), our family, and most importantly our son, coupled with what appears to be a systemic failure in addressing and preventing such heinous acts, have left me disillusioned and unable to reconcile my commitment to the Church with my conscience,” Deacon Peyton wrote.

Incurring automatic excommunication​

Continued below.

After son's abuse, deacon is excommunicated for joining Anglican church

A permanent deacon in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, whose then-teenage son was molested by the priest he once served alongside, is now excommunicated after leaving his ministry, because he formally left the Catholic Church, according to the recent decree written by his bishop.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

I could not find why he was excommunicated.

TY

 

[chevyontheriver]

I could not find why he was excommunicated.

TY

Essentially it is apostasy. Never mind they practically pushed his family to it.

 

[RileyG]

What a sad situation all around.

 

[chevyontheriver]

What a sad situation all around.

Caused by a priest who has earned his eternal millstone.

 

[Ave Maria]

This is incredibly sad but you should never leave the Catholic Church because of the failings of some of its members. After all, you wouldn't forsake Jesus because of Judas, would you?

 

[chevyontheriver]

This is incredibly sad but you should never leave the Catholic Church because of the failings of some of its members. After all, you wouldn't forsake Jesus because of Judas, would you?

Judas hanged himself, sort of solving that problem. There are priests who do not hang themselves but keep going in their debauching of children. And bishops who let it happen or even participate in the same crimes. Imagine if Judas had not hanged himself, had no remorse, and kept on betraying the apostles? What would they have to do? Could they just allow or enable further things from Judas? Or would they be right to expel him?

Here we have a deacon's son abused and the diocese still has him as a priest although not one with an assignment. He's thankfully in prison but he is still a priest and not excommunicated. The deacon IS excommunicated. A victory for justice? This better not be where the story ends.

 

[Michie]

Lafayette Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel has come under fire amid media reports that he excommunicated Deacon Scott Peyton after his teenage son was sexually abused by Lafayette Father Michael Guidry. Faithful Catholics are slamming Deshotel’s claim that Peyton “sever[ed] ties with the Catholic Church” by writing to him with concerns about clerical sex abuse cover-ups. While Peyton, a sex abuse victims’ advocate, was ousted from the Church, there is no indication that Guidry, who pled guilty and is sentenced to seven years in prison for molesting Peyton’s son, has ever been excommunicated. Sex abuse experts point out that Deshotel is one among a growing list of bishops who prove that the only sex abuse policy Church officials choose to enforce is “zero tolerance” for victims and whistleblowers.

Like Deshotel in Lafayette, Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory removed the faculties of Father Michael Briese after he reported credible allegations that Father Adam Park preyed upon seminarians. Although Park resigned as vice-rector of the North American College (NAC) in Rome after multiple seminarians came forward with damning sworn testimony against him, media reports uncovered how Gregory has been hiding Park in Washington parishes without defrocking the scandal-plagued cleric. While Gregory is allowing Park to go unpunished, he is forbidding Briese from ministering to Washington Catholics.

Continued below.

“Zero Tolerance” for Abuse Victims

Lafayette Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel has come under fire amid media reports that he excommunicated Deacon Scott Peyton after his teenage son was sexually abused by Lafayette Father Michael Guidry. Faithful Catholics are slamming Deshotel’s claim that Peyton “sever[ed] ties with the Catholic...

www.complicitclergy.com

 

[Ave Maria]

Judas hanged himself, sort of solving that problem. There are priests who do not hang themselves but keep going in their debauching of children. And bishops who let it happen or even participate in the same crimes. Imagine if Judas had not hanged himself, had no remorse, and kept on betraying the apostles? What would they have to do? Could they just allow or enable further things from Judas? Or would they be right to expel him?

Here we have a deacon's son abused and the diocese still has him as a priest although not one with an assignment. He's thankfully in prison but he is still a priest and not excommunicated. The deacon IS excommunicated. A victory for justice? This better not be where the story ends.

All I am trying to say is that the moral failures of clergy are not a good reason to leave the Catholic Church.

 

[chevyontheriver]

All I am trying to say is that the moral failures of clergy are not a good reason to leave the Catholic Church.

And intellectually I agree with you. I get the pain too of having your son abused by the priest you work with. And of having to sue your bishop to get him to accept that the priest he assigned you to work with abused your son.

 

[Lady Bug]

All I am trying to say is that the moral failures of clergy are not a good reason to leave the Catholic Church.

I think the problem is that people start wondering if something in the faith produces people like that. It doesn't, but I think that's what crosses people's minds.

 

[Michie]

A Louisiana deacon declared excommunicated this month had formally joined an Anglican parish community, before his bishop declared that he had incurred a formal canonical penalty.

Deacon Scott Peyton’s excommunication has garnered national attention, because the deacon’s defection from the Church came after his son was abused by a priest.

Continued below.

Why a Louisiana excommunication is a canonical ‘hard case’

The excommunication of Deacon Scott Peyton has garnered national attention. Here's why

www.pillarcatholic.com

 

[WarriorAngel]

This is incredibly sad but you should never leave the Catholic Church because of the failings of some of its members. After all, you wouldn't forsake Jesus because of Judas, would you?

Exactly what the Bishop wrote to him.

He was given an interview and was upset he was excommunicated and my daughter showed me the 'letter' from the Bishop and it comes off FROM that interview he was excommunicated [and the priest was laisized? or sent to jail etc] ---- because he called out the priest or so the interview made it seem.

The Bishop wrote it is not wise to leave the Eucharist after showing remorse for the sad occurrence... and such