But the research data on this topic makes clear that sexual orientation alone is not a risk factor for pedophilia or for committing sexual crimes against children or teens or anyone. As such, it is often falsely believed that men with homosexual orientations cannot be trusted around male children and that their sexual impulse control is poor. This is because many see heterosexuality as normal and controllable while believing that homosexuality is abnormal, dysfunctional and a psychiatric illness. No one would suggest banning heterosexual men from the priesthood if the majority of clergy abuse victims were young girls. You really have to know something about the psychopathology of sex offenders and pedophiles to understand this issue more clearly. While it may be understandable that some believe this, it is simply not true. This has led some church leaders to suggest that banning homosexual men from the priesthood could prevent future victimization of children in the church.
Many people believe that homosexuality is the root cause of sexual abuse by clergy in the Catholic Church since about 80 percent of the known victims have been male.