I honestly believe that celibacy does not play a part in this at all. There are married men and women who have healthy sex lives in their marriage, and yet they go out and abuse children. Rabbis, Protestant ministers, Catholic priests and deacon, and any other cleric are as statistically likely to abuse a child as anyone else - teacher, coach, scout master, parent, uncle/aunt, grandparent.
The local fish rag actually has some unbiased reporting on this:
https://www.app.com/story/news/local/how-we-live/2019/02/23/catholic-priest-sexual-abuse-minors-crisis-mirrors-society/2969045002/
Honestly, the priests are getting the attention as they do because of the fact that they - like teachers, parents, uncles/aunts, coaches - are supposed to protect children, but the priests are called to do so with a higher authority (religiously speaking), and they have failed horribly.
Doing God's work will not bring them redemption. Only true remorse and penance can do that through God's mercy. Speaking for myself, I am not fit to judge these wolves for reasons like this: if they apologize, are they doing so because they were caught, or because they are truly remorseful? I cannot tell, I cannot see into their hearts. But even in their remorse, there is no way in hell that I am letting wolves back into the fold. Forgiveness is one thing - but that does not mean that I have to endanger others and make more victims.
Of course they are in every industry and all over. Not denying that. The world is a screwed up place. But people hold the Church to a higher standard. People turn there often when lost. Those that preyed on the innocents are the most vile of creatures.
Aye, like I said, they have failed horribly. Like, beyond words failure. To some degree, the Church should be held to that higher standard - when it comes to things like keeping children safe and not abusing them, I am all for that higher standard. There is never any excuse for endangering a child like that.
Word. 100%