The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) confirmed that Peyton’s formal transfer to an Anglican congregation constituted a separation from the Catholic Church, thereby legitimising his excommunication—this decision was issued on May 22, 2026 after a two‑year appeal process that began in May 2024. The DDF noted that the bishop of Lafayette had not sufficiently warned Peyton of the consequences of joining another denomination, yet upheld the decree, citing the principle that a deacon who formally leaves the Church is no longer under papal authority.
Peyton resigned as a deacon in December 2023, after his teenage son, Oliver, was sexually abused by priest Michael Guidry in 2018. He had served for over a decade at St. Peter’s in Morrow, Louisiana, alongside Guidry, and had become a vocal survivor advocate following a $350,000 out‑of‑court settlement with the diocese in 2021. The abuse, which led to Guidry’s seven‑year prison sentence, exposed a systemic failure in the diocese’s handling of clergy misconduct.
While Peyton was stripped of his Catholic status, Guidry, though suspended from public ministry, remains an ordained priest. The Vatican’s decision has highlighted a stark contrast: a priest who abused a child retains his clerical title, whereas a devout layman who left the Church faces full excommunication. This disparity has fueled accusations of double standards within the Church’s disciplinary framework.
Peyton’s lawyer, Dawn Eden Goldstein, slammed the DDF’s process, arguing that the Vatican’s tribunal never communicated directly with Peyton and that the bishop’s role in relaying information created a conflict of interest. “The appeal process is unfair,” Goldstein said. Peyton himself called the ruling a scandal, remarking, “That is the contradiction.”
Despite the setback, Peyton has pledged to continue his advocacy for survivors of clerical abuse. He announced that he will file a fresh appeal with the Vatican’s tribunal in the coming weeks, hoping that a higher authority might reconsider the excommunication under the new information. The Vatican has yet to respond to his renewed petition, but observers expect a formal reply within the next month.