Louisiana deacon whose altar boy son was sexually assaulted at the hands of a priest is excommunicated after years of being shunned as he slams the Catholic church for 'punishing those that speak out'

A Louisiana deacon says he has been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic church after suing his diocese and a priest who was jailed for sexually assaulting his son.

Scott Peyton resigned from the diaconate in December 2023 after he learned that the priest he served next to had molested his son. However, he was supposed to, sacramentally, remain a deacon.

But he now claims he has been punished for speaking out against abusers in the church after the Lafayette diocese excommunicated him on March 13 - the harshest punishment a Catholic can receive. 

'It's totally unnecessary and I'm afraid it will make abuse victims and their families afraid to come out,' Peyton told KADN.

His son, Oliver, was 16 when he was molested by Father Michael Guidry, now 78, in 2015 - with Guidry giving him alcohol before molesting him while he was drunk.

Guidry pleaded guilty to charges of assault and in 2019 was handed a seven-year prison sentence but not before his church honored him with a goodbye luncheon - which it later apologized for. 

Scott Peyton, was excommunicated from the Catholic Church after his son was sexually abused as a minor by a priest

Peyton's son, Oliver, was molested by priest he served alongside, Michael Guidry (left)

The abuse occurred at St Peter's church in Morrow, Louisiana, pictured, a tiny rural town in St. Landry's Parish

'I am aware that your family has suffered a trauma, but the answer does not lie in leaving the Most Holy Eucharist,' bishop Douglas Deshotel's letter read, as seen by The Advocate.

Peyton said the actions of the bishop appeared to be an overt attempt to silence him after his family became vocal supporters of a law supporting childhood sex abuse survivors who wanted to seek civil damages from the church. 

He noted how no members of the clergy in the diocese accused of sexual abuse had been excommunicated. 

The Lafayette diocese had even pushed for Louisiana's supreme court to strike down a law that eliminated filing deadlines for lawsuits demanding damages for childhood sexual abuse from years ago.

The law, which was struck down on Friday, saw many new cases coming forward against both the institutions and clerics who had worked for Louisiana's Catholic church. 

Peyton has described Bishop Deshotel's actions against him as 'very malicious' noting how despite more than 40 priests and deacons being on the organization's list of credibly accused child molesters, none have ever been excommunicated. 

Father Michael Guidry was arrested by the police and is now serving a seven year jail sentence

Scott is pictured alongside his wife, Letitia Peyton

Scott and Letitia Peyton founded TentMakers - a non-profit organization designed to support survivors of Catholic clergy sex abuse

Peyton was ordained into the diocese of Lafayette as a deacon in 2012. 

But it was in 2018 his faith was shaken after Guidry, whom he worked with at St Peter's church in Morrow, Louisiana, a tiny rural town in St. Landry's Parish, confessed to molesting Peyton's teenage son, Oliver.

Guidry was arrested by the police and is now serving jail time.

Three years later, the Paytons, consisting of Scott, wife Letitia and son, Oliver, managed to win a $350,000 from the diocese of Lafayette as part of an out of court settlement as part of a civil lawsuit against the church. 

As part of the settlement, the church issued a three-sentence apology acknowledging the victim's credibility while denouncing Guidry's actions. 

Yet Guidry has argued Oliver Peyton's son had brought the sexual abuse upon himself.

Bishop J Douglas Deshotel of the diocese has now excommunicate Rev. Scott Peyton

Bishop J Douglas Deshotel wrote a letter to Deacon Scott Peyton to excommunicating him

One day prior to his resignation, Scott Peyton was recognized as the region's 'deacon of the day' in a Facebook post that sees him smiling

He alleged the teenager had drunk from his own bottle and then guided the priest's hands during a nude massage. 

Despite being in jail, disgraced priest Guidry, remains an ordained member of the clergy.

After their success, the Peytons decided to advocate for other victims who had been abused at the hands of the church.

Prior to the law being struck down, it had allowed victims to pursue civil damages in connection with sexual abuse no matter how many years ago assaults had taken place.

Scott and Letitia Peyton founded TentMakers - a non-profit organization designed to support survivors of Catholic clergy sex abuse.

Yet the law was struck down after lawyers for their own diocese argued that having no time limit or 'look back window' made the law unconstitutional.

Peyton then quit after deciding he was no longer a good fit to be serving as a deacon in the diocese.

'The pain and suffering endured by the victims, 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,' Peyton wrote. 

Scott Peyton finally quit his role after deciding he was no longer a good fit to be serving as a deacon in the diocese

Scott Peyton has described Deshotel's actions as 'not Christ-like' but said that he does not intend to appeal the decree. 'We've endured enough,' he said

His resignation was designed to send a message that he was 'conscientiously objecting to the way the church has handled cases of sexual abuse'.

'This has deeply shaken my faith and trust in the institution to which I have dedicated a significant portion of my life,' Peyton wrote in his resignation email.

'It is not easy for me to sever these ties, but I believe it is a necessary step to maintain the integrity of my and my family's faith and principles,' he wrote.

'This decision is not a rejection of my faith in God or my commitment to living a life guided by Christian principles. Instead, it reflects a conscientious objection to the way the Church has handled cases of sexual abuse, and a desire to distance myself from an institution that, currently, falls short of the values it professes.'

At first, Bishop Deshotel appeared to show compassion for the position Peyton found himself.

'I was sad to receive your email deciding to leave the church and cease to exercise your vocation as a deacon. I will remember you in my prayers and masses that you be open to the gift of faith in the Catholic church founded by Jesus Christ and built on the Apostles. Sacramentally you are a deacon though you choose not to exercise your ministry,' Deshotel wrote.

'I think the hypocrisy in this excommunication speaks volumes of the leadership of Bishop Deshotel. I think he should resign his leadership and those that are running this diocese behind the scenes should step down along with him,' said Peyton

Scott Peyton is seen feeling festive with his wife Letitia Leger Peyton

But only weeks later, Deshotel appeared to have a change of heart and had Peyton excommunicated, 'effective immediately', he wrote. 

For Catholics, excommunication is the most severe censure possible and prohibits those punished in such a way from receiving certain sacraments including receiving holy communion and participating in the Catholic Church.

The idea is to shock them into rethinking their sinful behavior before death makes it too late to save their souls from damnation.

'A bishop never wishes to communicate a censure to anyone. I am aware that your family has suffered a trauma but the answer does not lie in leaving the Most Holy Eucharist,' Deshotel wrote in his excommunication decree. 

'We are not Catholics because the church on Earth is perfect but because the Lord has entrusted us to a mystery greater than ourselves, which He has established as the means to our salvation.

'The censures of the church are intended to be medicinal, perhaps as much for those who impose them as for those who are subject to them. It is with this objective that I mournfully must declare them.'

The action came as a huge shock to Peyton, who only one day earlier, despite his resignation, was recognized as the region's 'deacon of the day' in a Facebook post that sees him smiling. 

Peyton has described Deshotel's actions as 'not Christ-like' and told the New York Times that he does not intend to appeal the decree. 'We've endured enough,' he said.

'That's a fancy way of the bishop telling me to go to hell,' Peyton explained.

'What he did to my family with this excommunication proves the point of why I left. It's an institution that wants to punish those that speak out against it.

'If molesting a child is not grave enough to get excommunicated, but telling the bishop that I don't agree with how he's running the diocese and how the church is handling the sex abuse crisis, if that's a grave sin, then I guess I'll wear the badge of excommunication as an honor,' Peyton said. 

'I think the hypocrisy in this excommunication speaks volumes of the leadership of Bishop Deshotel. I think he should resign his leadership and those that are running this diocese behind the scenes should step down along with him,' said Peyton. 

'The diocese of Lafayette has crossed a new line,' Peyton's attorney Kristi Schubert said in a statement. 'When you discourage survivors from speaking out, you miss opportunities to uncover hidden child predators.'