Priestly celibacy is based on Scripture ....
"His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with [his] wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All [men] cannot receive this saying, save [they] to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from [their] mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive [it], let him receive [it]." - Matthew 19:10-12
What the Catechism of the Catholic Church says on Celibacy of the Clergy.
As a cradle catholic, I can assure you that the demands placed on the catholic priest far outweigh those of the protestant minister.
Well, congrats, but the Catholic Church is literally TEEMING with gay priests.
There are gay priests who must also adhere to the vow of celibacy. "Teeming" is a big stretch of the imagination. There was an influx during the 60s and 70s but the seminaries have now been visited and cleaned up.
It severely limits the pool of Catholic men who would otherwise be interested in the priesthood.
This is a great misperception of the celibate priesthood. Those who enter choose this lifestyle "for the good of the kingdom". It is a call to holiness which they spend years discerning before actually making the commitment.
My pastor is an Eastern Rite priest. As noted above, he could have married and served as a priest. Like many others, he made the personal choice to give his all to our Lord. Good thing too, because his wife, if he had one, would rarely see him.
And yet, Catholics seem to shut their minds to the possibility of opening the doors of married priests.
Again ... not true. There are many catholics who believe like you and think that opening the priesthood to married men would resolve all the problems. This idea also blossomed during the 60s and 70s, growing in momentum as the pedophile crisis peaked. If anything, such a move would create more havoc.
The following thread has been running this week in the Religion Forum. In England, many married Anglican clergy are taking advantage of a dispensation offered by the Catholic Church to clergy who convert. Take a moment and read about their experiences. It may help you better understand the life of a catholic priest.
As for the demands on a Catholic priest being greater than those placed on a protestant minister, I don't know about that. Except for the number of masses a priest gives maybe;otherwise, I would think that they have the same amount of work. My pastor visits the sick, shut-ins, those with problems, works with the youth, etc. He also has the business part of running the church to handle. He has two sermons per Sunday to preach. Then there are other classes he teaches. There are multiple other duties I don't even know about as well.