CORRECTION: According to a friend in the Diocese of Wheeling who called me this morning, Bishop Schmitt did not return Fr. Wash to active ministry. He removed him from the active priesthood after the arrest. Whether he was suspended or just given a "get out of Dodge" order, I don't know. Obviously he wasn't laicized to prevent him ever returning to active ministry. Did Schmitt report him to higher ups including the Apostolic Nuncio? I don't know. Sending him for a counseling degree may have been an "act of charity" according to my friend, so Wash could make a living outside the priesthood. (Not so charitable for the young men he might be counseling.) Garbage collector or car mechanic would have been better with fewer temptations. How many garbage collectors and mechanics are alone with their "clients?"
