Hi, so i have a script for tidying up some excel files. it opens the files based on there name which is a list in column A of an excel worksheet. And a fixed password they all share
It removes all blank columns in the file, ignoring the title row (row 1) just blank data rows (row 2 to end).
and closes the files.

This issue is, I want it to close the file with a new password which is stored in column B (next to the name and changes as you go down column B) as the result of a V-lookup.

this is the code i have. 

Sub TidyFiles() 'remove columnsDim lngROW As Long, lngCOL As Long
Dim rng As Range, rngFILE As Range
Dim ws As Worksheet, wsList As Worksheet
Dim wb As Workbook, wb2 As Workbook
Dim strFPATH As String, strFNAME As String
Dim arrFILES As Variant, varI As Variant
Dim arrPWORD As Variant


'*******************************************************************************************
    With Application
        .DisplayAlerts = False
        .ScreenUpdating = False
        .Calculation = xlCalculationManual
    End With
    Set wb = ThisWorkbook
    Set wsList = ActiveSheet
    strFPATH = "C:\Files"
    lngROW = Range("A" & wsList.Rows.Count).End(xlUp).Row
    arrFILES = Range(wsList.Cells(1, 1), wsList.Cells(lngROW, 2)).Value
    arrPWORD = Range(wsList.Cells(2, 1), wsList.Cells(lngROW, 2)).Value
    
'*******************************************************************************************
    For Each varI In arrFILES
        strFNAME = strFPATH & "\" & varI & ".xls"
        Set wb2 = Workbooks.Open(strFNAME, Password:="passwordbefore")
        Set ws = ActiveSheet
        lngCOL = 53
        With ws
        Do Until lngCOL = 1
            lngROW = Cells(.Rows.Count, lngCOL).End(xlUp).Row
            If lngROW <= 1 Then
                Set rng = Cells(1, lngCOL)
                rng.EntireColumn.Delete
'*******************************************************************************************
            End If
            lngCOL = lngCOL - 1
        Loop
        ws.Protect arrPWORD, True, True 'new password on close
        End With
        
        wb2.Close True
    Next varI
'*******************************************************************************************
    With Application
        .DisplayAlerts = True
        .ScreenUpdating = True
        .Calculation = xlCalculationAutomatic
    End With
End Sub
Can anyone assist I have tried a few different techniques like 
ws.Protect (Password:= arrPWORD)
and tried including it lower in script just before the close. 

ws.Protect arrPWORD, True, True 'new password on close
        wb2.Close True
Have even tried changing the type so arrPWORD is a string

Dim arrFILES As Variant, varI As Variant
Dim arrPWORD As String
but continue to get different errors through each try.

Can anyone help? Thank you in advance.