It would wrong to conclude that compulsory clerical celibacy causes homosexual or pedophile behavior, I agree.
It would not be wrong to conclude that the Church’s policy of compulsory clerical celibacy helped create an atmosphere and environment very attractive to homosexuals/pedophiles.
This was especially true back in the day when homosexual behavior was considered taboo and frowned upon-—not glorified and exalted in the popular media culture like it is today. For people who did not want to get married or date people of the opposite sex, no questions were asked if you joined the priesthood. And the way the bishops covered up the priests and shuffled the around, it provided a secure sanctuary for many deprived priests. BTW-—we cannot gloss over the magnitude of the homosexual-pedophile priest scandal. My own archdiocese was hit with a $660 million judgment which will impact us for decades to come.
Another factor contributing to the homosexual-pedophile priest scandal was the (now discarded) practice of recruiting young teenagers for preparation to the seminary. Individuals who were not sexually or emotionally mature enough to make such a decision or commitment to lifelong celibacy.
This has changed drastically in recent years though. Prospective candidates for the priesthood these days are carefully screened and must under go a thorough battery of physical and psychological examination prior to be accepted into the priesthood. According to our pastor, the average of an individual entering into the seminary today is about 35, many considerably older.
In a comprehensive study of more than 20 years of data on clerical abuse, Philip Jenkins, the Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor, and author of Pedophiles and Priests, found no evidence that Catholic or other celibate clergy are any more likely to be involved in misconduct or abuse than clergy of any other denomination. More information on that here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3267219/posts?page=107#107
A national survey conducted for the American Association of University Women found that 290,000 public school students experienced some sort of physical sexual abuse by a public school employee between 1991 and 2000. Researcher Charol Shakeshaft (google her!!), basing her analysis on these figures, estimates that "the physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests," according to Education Week.
Other studies have found high rates of abuse perpetrated by athletic coaches, Protestant youth ministers, summer camp counselors, -- precisely because abusers gravitate toward professions which will put them in a position of proximity, trust, and authority over kids.
Without a doubt, the Catholic Church has been prosecuted, ruinously, disastrously, more than any other denomination or institution. But why? I would say, three reasons:
Documentation: the Catholic Church archives every letter sent out or received, and keeps therapy notes, medical records, pastoral assignemnts, personnel files, etc. forever. A prosecutor's dream.
Deep Pockets: the Church's assets are largely in parishes, schools, land and buildings. The structure of governance makes it very hard to shield these from looting by ambitious prosecutors.
The Trash Factor: the Catholic Church has such a prominent public stance against perverse sex practices, that there's a real frisson of excitement when a priest is caught with his pants down. It's so much more satisfying to expose Catholic pastors than PSU assistant football coaches...
See what I mean?