Can this be true? Lower sexual abuse rates in the priesthood than in the general population?
Not really a fair comparison. A better comparison would be abuse rates among non-celibate Protestant ministers and celibate Catholic priests.
Perhaps. But the abusers in the general population are eventually caught and prosecuted.
The abusers in the Church are “rehabbed” and reassigned.
When they retire, they get full benefits and go to places like Indonesia or Costa Rica to continue preying on young boys.
All at the expense of the faithful churchgoers who give to their annual Bishops Appeals.