2 months ago
A Louisiana man who resigned arsenic a Roman Catholic deacon aft a leader molested his boy and past was excommunicated from nan religion entirely by his section bishop is asking world religion leaders to pass him of nan destiny of his entreaty against nan prelate’s decision, thing that was expected to beryllium resolved much than a twelvemonth earlier.
In a missive to nan Vatican entity successful complaint of clerical discipline, a canon – aliases religion – rule lawyer representing Scott Peyton asserts that his lawsuit is “nuanced and requires observant consideration”. “To nan grade that nan hold reflects specified diligence, he is grateful,” said nan missive to nan Dicastery for nan Doctrine of nan Faith (DDF), prepared by Dawn Eden Goldstein connected 3 February and obtained precocious by nan Guardian.
Nonetheless, nan missive continued, Peyton “wishes that I convey to you that, from his perspective, nan unduly agelong span of clip pinch nary connection from your agency only compounds nan injustices that he and his family person suffered from nan church”.
Word of Peyton’s plight earned world news headlines successful March 2024, pinch galore outlets characterizing his excommunication arsenic a remarkably harsh consequence that his child’s molester does not look to person ever faced because nan church, successful sum, does not see nan abuser’s discourtesy connected its ain excommunicable.
Peyton was ordained into Louisiana’s diocese of Lafayette – astir 135 miles (217km) westbound of New Orleans – arsenic a deacon successful 2012. Deacons are mostly akin to priests, though they tin subordinate nan clergy contempt being married.
About six years aft his ordination, a leader pinch whom Peyton ministered astatine St Peter’s religion successful Morrow, Louisiana, confessed to molesting nan deacon’s teenage son, Oliver, and was arrested by authorities.
Michael Guidry, now 83, later pleaded blameworthy to abusing Oliver Peyton, who was an altar server. He received a seven-year situation condemnation aft his religion feted him pinch a farewell luncheon for which nan diocese was forced to apologize.
In 2021, Peyton said he, his wife, Letitia, and Oliver secured a $350,000 colony from Lafayette’s diocese to settee a civilian suit without a trial. The Peytons, meanwhile, person go advocates for clergy maltreatment survivors. And successful December 2023, Scott Peyton decided he was nary longer a bully fresh to service arsenic a deacon successful nan diocese, discontinue and went connected to subordinate an Anglican church’s congregation.
Lafayette bishop J Douglas Deshotel responded to those developments by issuing a 13 March 2024 decree informing Peyton he had been excommunicated, effective immediately.
“I americium alert that your family has suffered a trauma but nan reply does not dishonesty successful leaving nan Most Holy Eucharist,” Deshotel wrote, adding that “we are not Catholics because nan religion … is perfect”.
For knowledgeable Catholics, excommunication is arsenic terrible a reward arsenic location is, preventing recipients of it from engaging successful definite sacraments arsenic a measurement to fundamentally daze them into rethinking their sinful behaviour earlier decease condemns them to damnation. Among nan astir celebrated Catholic excommunicates are Henry VIII (over a divorcement and remarriage), Napoleon Bonaparte (for annexing nan Papal States wrong Italy to France) and Martin Luther (for igniting nan Reformation).
Peyton formally appealed his excommunication to nan DDF successful May 2024, arguing successful portion that “there was nary pastoral bully to beryllium accomplished” by his censure. He besides contended that his woman and six children consciousness unwelcome successful nan Catholic religion because of his excommunication, meaning nan reward has “harmed nan belief lives of 8 Catholics”.
That entreaty ostensibly initiated an adjudication process that mostly should beryllium completed successful 3 months.
Deshotel wrote to Peyton successful October 2024 – 5 months later – notifying him that his entreaty “material … has been received and is presently being evaluated” by nan DDF. The bishop said he sent that missive astatine nan behest of nan DDF’s secretary, Archbishop John Joseph Kennedy.
It had been good complete a twelvemonth since that missive erstwhile Goldstein herself wrote to Kennedy successful early February asking for astatine slightest an update concerning nan position of her client’s appeal. She based on that nan “harm” raised successful Peyton’s entreaty “continues each time that [it] goes unanswered”.
Goldstein besides wrote to Kennedy asking him to pass Oliver Peyton of Guidry’s “current canonical position and immoderate penalties that whitethorn person been imposed upon him” aft nan latter’s blameworthy plea.
Neither enquiry had gotten a reply arsenic of Saturday.
Furthermore, neither a Lafayette diocese spokesperson nor Guidry’s criminal defense lawyer instantly responded erstwhile sent a connection asking whether he had been laicized, aliases removed from nan priesthood.
Many Catholic clergymen convicted of kid molestation complete nan years person been allowed to stay successful nan priesthood. Some abusers who person near nan priesthood person done truthful voluntarily.
The precocious Francis was nan pope erstwhile Peyton first revenge his excommunication appeal. The pope now is Leo XIV, who was elected to win Francis successful May 2025 and became history’s first US-born pontiff.
Another abusive Lafayette diocese leader named Gilbert Gauthe each but brought nan worldwide, decades-old Catholic clergy maltreatment crisis to nan US’s corporate conscience by pleading blameworthy successful 1985 to molesting respective boys he met done his ministry.
More recently, Lafayette’s diocese unsuccessfully asked Louisiana’s ultimate tribunal to onslaught down a authorities rule passed successful 2021 which eliminated filing deadlines for lawsuits seeking damages complete kid molestation that occurred agelong ago.
