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The problem is, it appears from statistics that homosexual priests are much less likely to remain "faithful and celibate" than heterosexual priests (unless we assume that the vast majority of priests are homosexuals).

The vast majority of sex scandals involving priests involve homosexual pedophile priests. If the objective is to preserve the repute of the Church, then that objective requires the exclusion of homosexuals from the priesthood.

I agree that men with men with strong, ongoing homosexual struggles ought not to be admitted as seminarians or as candidates for ordination. The official criteria (I don't have the quote and I'm citing the idea from memory) are 3-fold as I rememeber it: a candidate for the priesthood :

must not have ongoing homosexual drives or impulses
must not have an attachment to or identificaiton with a homosexual "identity" or "gay culture"; and
must have a demonstrated willingness and ability to live a chaste celibate life over x number of years prior to admission to seminary. (I don't remember the exact time period, but it was a number of years.)

So you and I are in agreement on that.

It does not exclude men who have had, in their past, some transient sexual confusions or some experience they've repented of, especially some isolated sex-foolery that they messed around with as adolescents or whatever. If it doesn't have any residual hold on your life as a "drive," and if you're free of that type of behavior for years with no real danger of recurrance, then you're clean.

Keep in mind that in Pauls' first letter to the Corinthians, he says,

(v. 10) "Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of God."

And immediately he adds:

(v. 11) Such were some of you.

And then inthe biggest, boldest font:

"... but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God."

So if you have an ongoing homosexual drive, OR a drive to covet, OR a drive to steal, OR a drive to slander, you're not fit for the Kingdom of God. But if you're washed, santified, justified: that's different.

I get it. I wish everybody got it.