# Spin the wheel, pick a pope, but you might not find one who hates contraception **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766 "2013-03-12T23:17:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/1 "2013-03-12T23:17:31Z")
I was surprised to find, in fiddling around with a [pope-picking thingie](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2013/mar/12/choose-your-own-pope-pontifficator), that only six of the 115 cardinals are against contraception in all circumstances. The other 109 would allow it to prevent the spread of disease. Now, I’ve never actually looked at the cardinal level to know if this is new, having so many cardinals think contraception is okay to prevent disease, or if that’s the way it’s been for a while. Are you surprised? Nothing else surprised me. The vast majority are old, conservative to ultra-conservative, and pretty boring. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/2 "2013-03-12T23:35:21Z")
I think the opposition is to contraceptives-as-birth-control. How many of those cardinals oppose the wide availability of contraceptives? Certainly more than six. ETA: It turns out the pope picker thingy doesn’t even allow that option. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/3 "2013-03-12T23:48:34Z")
Well then, I guess condoms are in, but pills are still out… I like Cardinal Tagle…he’s my pick. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/4 "2013-03-12T23:51:14Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > I think the opposition is to contraceptives-as-birth-control. How many of those cardinals oppose the wide availability of contraceptives? Certainly more than six. > > ETA: It turns out the pope picker thingy doesn’t even allow that option. They all oppose contraceptives as contraceptives. But the church public stance has been that condoms are bad, no matter what. ETA: Actually, I had forgotten to refresh my memory. Benedict DID say that condoms could be okay to prevent disease. I was surprised by the cardinals because I didn’t do my due diligence! ---
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/5 "2013-03-12T23:56:33Z")
Why isn’t [Father Guido Sarducci](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Guido_Sarducci) on the list? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/6 "2013-03-13T00:36:59Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > I think the opposition is to contraceptives-as-birth-control. The Catholic Church has long opposed condom use to stop disease, and has [lied](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/oct/09/aids) about condoms in places like Africa in order to convince people not to use them. And killing an unknown number of people as a result of that, inevitably. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/7 "2013-03-13T01:08:12Z")
This couldn’t have gone in one of the other pope threads? Anyway, this is nothing new. All they are saying is that if you have to choose between the two, sometimes condoms are the lesser of two evils. Even the last pope was Ok with that. Don’t be mistaken. The RCC is against birth control. That is not going to change with the next pope. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/8 "2013-03-13T01:58:20Z")
OK…who else doesn’t feel entirely certain that Rainer Maria Woelki could pass the pierced chair test? Oh, contraception. No, I’m not surprised. They are all, as far as we can tell from that quiz anyhow, opposed to contraception 100% of the time. 109 of them are in favor of using condoms for disease prevention. Still not in favor of using them for _contraception_. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/9 "2013-03-13T02:28:33Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > This couldn’t have gone in one of the other pope threads? First, I’ve already asked the mods to put it in IMHO, which is where I intended to post it. Second, if you don’t want to post, no one is making you. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/10 "2013-03-13T04:21:56Z")
Off to IMHO, per request. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/11 "2013-03-13T09:55:48Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > OK…who else doesn’t feel entirely certain that Rainer Maria Woelki could pass the pierced chair test? What, only because the dude looks like a nun? I like the Filipino (plus it’s about time we got someone from outside Europe again), but if it ends up being André Armand Vingt-Trois he should keep his own name: it comes with its own numeral! Seeing one of them there’s something I think is missing: “has been known to jump with both feet into issues which are very much not in the Church’s domain”, such as the administrative organization of a country. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/12 "2013-03-13T17:17:19Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > OK…who else doesn’t feel entirely certain that Rainer Maria Woelki could pass the pierced chair test? That’s a new one on me. I think I’m glad of that. What I don’t understand is why in the world is one guy feeling your testicles somehow preferable to the same guy looking at them to make sure you have them? ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/13 "2013-03-13T17:28:21Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > What, only because the dude looks like a nun? > > I like the Filipino (plus it’s about time we got someone from outside Europe again), but if it ends up being André Armand Vingt-Trois he should keep his own name: it comes with its own numeral! > > Seeing one of them there’s something I think is missing: “has been known to jump with both feet into issues which are very much not in the Church’s domain”, such as the administrative organization of a country. Again? Has there ever been a pope from outside Europe? ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/14 "2013-03-13T17:35:06Z")
OK, in looking it up, I see one Pope from Homs in 155 A.D. I guess that’s non-European, but Roman Syria isn’t a drastic change. EDIT: And one from Roman Africa. This is technically non-European, but come on! This is not a break from the basic European tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/15 "2013-03-13T19:50:56Z")
And Petey. For some reason people always forget him. I think the Africans have been two, but I’m feeling lazy. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/16 "2013-03-13T20:02:59Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > That’s a new one on me. I think I’m glad of that. [Pope Joan](http://www.popejoan.com/). Great novel. Apocryphal, of course. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/17 "2013-03-14T03:31:53Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > The Catholic Church has long opposed condom use to stop disease Apparently not anymore. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-the-wheel-pick-a-pope-but-you-might-not-find-one-who-hates-contraception/652766/18 "2013-03-14T04:14:19Z")
Cool website. But really, Guardian? You can put an accent over “Seán”, but you can’t spell “O’Malley” correctly? And “O’Brien”? Polycarp Pengo is an awesome name, The new name Francis is a tiny bit shocking, but it beats people trying to pronounce his real name, “ber-gog-lee-oh? ber-go-glee-oh?” Is Sandri really that much more conservative than him, though? Besides Bergoglio being a damned hippie Jesuit, of course.