VATICAN CITY (VATICAN CITY)
Anglican Watch [Alexandria, VA]
October 19, 2026
By Anglican Watch
Nothing says institutional accountability quite like excommunicating the father of a clergy abuse survivor while the priest who molested his son remains a priest.
But that is where things stand in the Roman Catholic Church.
The Vatican has upheld the excommunication of former Louisiana Catholic deacon Scott Peyton, whose teenage son was sexually abused by Catholic priest Michael Guidry.
Guidry admitted the abuse, pleaded guilty to molesting Peyton’s 16-year-old son and was sentenced to seven years in prison. The Diocese of Lafayette found the allegation credible and permanently removed Guidry from public ministry.
But Guidry remains a Catholic priest.
Peyton, meanwhile, is out.
Apparently, joining the Anglicans was a bridge too far
After the abuse, Peyton and his family temporarily joined an Anglican congregation. Peyton publicly acknowledged the move, which church authorities determined constituted an act that automatically carried excommunication under Catholic canon law.
Peyton appealed.
According to The Guardian, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith rejected his appeal on May 22, although the decision was not presented to Peyton until October 16.
The Vatican reportedly acknowledged the “tragic” circumstances surrounding the case but concluded that the excommunication was canonically valid.
So, to recap: sexually abuse a 16-year-old, plead guilty and go to prison, and you can remain a Catholic priest.
Be the victim’s father, leave the church that employed your son’s abuser, and worship for a time with Anglicans?
Out you go.
Peyton reportedly intends to appeal again.
We wish him well. Perhaps someone at the Vatican might use the occasion to consider whether a disciplinary system that produces this result has lost sight of something important.
Like justice.