<p>Scott Peyton joined the Anglicans after the crime against his son. Then the Catholic church officially expelled him</p><p>The Roman Catholic church has upheld <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/22/louisiana-deacon-excoummunication-appeal">the excommunication</a> of a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/louisiana">Louisiana</a> deacon who resigned from the clergy after a priest molested his son.</p><p>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 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/pope-leo-xiv">Leo XIV</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/19/catholic-church-excommunication-appeal-louisiana">Continue reading...</a>