Meanwhile, Goldstein’s statement said that Deshotel on Friday admitted that the abusive clergyman who preyed on Peyton’s son – the imprisoned Michael Guidry – remained in the Catholic priesthood.

Peyton said he understood Guidry was suspended from being able to publicly minister. He also cited comments Guidry made at a public hearing where he unsuccessfully requested parole, during which he talked about providing spiritual direction while incarcerated and considering himself to still be a priest.

“That is the scandal,” Peyton said in his statement on Sunday. “That’s the contradiction.”

I have to agree with Peyton here that that’s the contradiction in this story. Ironically, Peyton’s actions necessitate a jure excommunication within the laws of the church, as being a minister of the Catholic Church and then publicly saying “I’m going to another denomination”, regardless of reason, is refusal to submit to the Pope – where apostasy is basically the stereotypical excommunication ground. (The excommunication could be simply undone upon him wanting to go back to Catholicism.)

Meanwhile, the child rapist’s actions ironically may not because it doesn’t violate any of the latae sententiae* excommunication reasons. (Of course, though, trying to make a woman a deacon, is one. lmao) This would be ferendae sententiae, but it’s presumable that the priest repented to the Church/God/whatever once this came to light, where excommunication is strictly a tool designed to encourage repentance.

For some context, excommunication within the fiction of Christianity isn’t anything like “you won’t get into Heaven”; it’s that you can no longer receive the sacraments of the Catholic Church. It’s what’s called a “medicinal” penalty, i.e. not designed to punish or rebuke past behavior but strictly hoping to hasten repentance. Basically, it’s a tool of “nooooo, please don’t excommunicate me! I neeeeed that yummy bread circle!” Excommunications are made with the hope they’ll be undone. Thus, if the person is already penitent, the tool isn’t going to have its sole intended effect.

What’s completely fucked here is that the priest is only “suspended” from practicing; it’s gross there’s a chance he’ll ever practice again. And the fact he “still considers himself a priest” makes it even worse and shows a lack of penitence. That crosses a line from the technicalities of Catholic law and its emphasis on forgiveness and loyalty to “quit protecting rapists, Vatican”.

* Latae sententiae excommunication means the excommunication happens automatically upon perpetration, because you’ve broken a short list of presumed-known rules. I.e. even if no one ever finds out, you’ve been excommunicated the whole time until you confess and repent. Ferendae sententiae means judgment needs to be brought first and then announced before you’re excommunicated.