Pedophilia and Homosexuality

I had a conversation some time ago about the sex abuse by priests in the Catholic church. The person I was speaking with said that it was because Catholic priests weren't allowed to marry, and so gays were more likely to become priests and molest boys.

I disagreed with him. It's not about homosexuality, I said, it's about power. "Then why do they choose boys?" Because boys are less likely to talk about what happened to them, due to fear that they will be labeled "gay".

Pedophilia isn't the same as homosexuality. Most pedophiles self-identify as straight, but will choose their victims carefully to ensure that they are not caught. The gender of the child isn't as important as the age.

When women sexually abuse children, they also chose boys because in our culture a boy who is "seduced" (read "coerced into sexual victimization") by an older woman is "lucky", it's part of his initiation into manhood. But if a boy is "molested" by a man, he is queer.

As much as I dislike the prohibition on marriage for the priesthood, it's not responsible for the exploitation of children in the church.