Father William McCandless, known as Father Bill, member of the religious order of the Oblates of Saint-François de Sales, and vicar of Saint-Charles Church in Monaco between 2010 and 2015, then advisor to the Princess Charlene Foundation in 2016 , pleaded guilty in federal court in Pennsylvania. He was sentenced to thirty-seven months in prison for possession of child pornography images on the computer he had on the premises of his new assignment at the University of Sales in the United States where he was transferred at the end of 2016.
However, the case begins in Monaco, even if, concerning the files discovered in the Principality, the priest pleaded not guilty.
“I want to recognize what I have done”
According to the daily The inspectorwho published a well-researched article on Monday, Father Bill reportedly told the judge: “I want to recognize what I have done”, “Words cannot express the depth of my remorse”.
Contacted, the Archdiocese of Monaco explains the chronology of events. He would like to point out from the outset that, according to him and after an internal investigation, no person and therefore no child in direct contact with Father Bill has claimed to be the victim of acts of a sexual or even inappropriate nature.
“Father William McCandless was sent to Monaco in 2010 by the Oblates, on whom he depends and who are in charge of the parish of Saint-Charles. In 2015, he was made available to the Princess Charlene Foundation. An agreement was then signed between the government, the Princess Charlene Foundation and the diocese of Monaco. If he continues to be housed at the parish, Father Bill is then detached and therefore no longer reports directly to the diocese.”
In the course of 2016, the superiors of the Oblate congregation informed the diocese of Monaco that they were sending Father Bill to a diocese in the United States. Why ? No reason is reported. “We weren’t aware of anything; we had never heard of anything,” emphasizes the communication service of the Archdiocese of Monaco.
Bishop Bernard Barsi agrees and the priest leaves Monaco for good at Christmas 2016. A rather unexpected departure, only a few months after Father Bill joined the Princess’s Foundation.
April 20, 2017: amazement! “A parishioner of Saint-Charles will discover child pornography images on one of the parish computers. The computer files are created a priori by Father William McCandless. The parishioner immediately informs a parish employee who refers it to the archdiocese. Considering the nature of the files in question, the archdiocese, in turn, immediately alerts the judicial authorities. Forty-eight hours have not passed without Justice being notified. This is followed by the seizure of all the incriminated information material. For his part, Bishop Barsi informs the superiors of the Oblates of Saint-François de Sales. An investigation has been initiated by the General Prosecutor’s Office. There were hearings from close colleagues of Father Bill and leaders of groups of young people. American justice has asked to question certain people by videoconference. Then, the judicial services of Monaco informed us that they were transmitting the elements of their investigation to the United States.
In the Principality, the vicar of Saint-Charles seemed irreproachable. “He never failed in his mission.”
Impeccable appearances
Today, “The Church very deeply regrets that any of its members may have engaged in criminal acts.”
And his position is clear: “We are here to operate with justice, without any restraint. It’s obvious! If someone considers being the victim of a priest or a person working within the diocese, he will always have our attentive listening, our advice and our support.”
Note that since 2019, a listening unit has been set up by the diocese in the event of a report.