In July 2021, McWilliams pled guilty to one count of transporting child porn, one count of distributing child porn and one count of possessing child porn, as well as three counts of sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of child sex trafficking.
In court Tuesday, McWilliams said that he will formally resign from being a priest in the Catholic church. He apologized for the harm he has done and said that he hoped Catholics would not blame the church for his actions. “This is not the church or priesthood,” he said. “This is me.”
The Bishop of Cleveland, Edward C. Malesic, published a statement Tuesday that said:
Today, with the sentencing of Robert McWilliams, let us once again, as a family of faith, offer prayers for all those impacted by his reprehensible actions and ask our loving Father to heal any and all wounds they have suffered. We also thank those in law enforcement and the judicial system who worked so hard to ensure that justice was served and that McWilliams’ wrongdoing was justly punished.
Finally, let us offer our support and thanks to all the good priests of the Diocese of Cleveland who faithfully live out their promises each day in service to God’s people. For its part, the diocese continues to actively pursue the removal of McWilliams from the clerical state.
