Vatican upholds excommunication of US deacon who resigned after son was molested by priest

A Louisiana deacon who resigned from the Catholic clergy following his son’s sexual abuse by a priest has been formally expelled by the Vatican after his appeal was rejected. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith upheld his excommunication, citing his public transition to an Anglican congregation as a refusal to recognize papal authority. The decision was communicated during a meeting with the local bishop, with the Vatican emphasizing procedural grounds for the ruling. The case highlights ongoing tensions over accountability within the Catholic Church amid allegations of clergy abuse.

Scott Peyton joined the Anglicans after the crime against his son. Then the Catholic church officially expelled himThe 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. Continue reading...