The biggest accusation was that he had a role in covering up pedophilia and rape while he was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. I don't know where you guys get your news. 
It is the Roman Catholic Church's position that sex's place is within marriage and open to conception. There are those within the Church that argue that contraception (e.g. condoms--not methods which dispose of fertilized eggs like birth control pills) is acceptable when used for planning purposes within loving marriages which are open to children when they're ready. (e.g. newly married couple with expenses to catch up on and savings to build up before they have a child.) But yes, the Church's official position is still that all birth control is interfering with natural processes of love and creation.
While, were I a Catholic, I'd certainly be in the camp arguing for the acceptance of certain forms of contraception which prevent conception, I'm not sure I agree that the Church's official no-contraception policy is _that_ archaic--not when compared to prevalent values (or lack thereof) in most cultures today. The amount of harm that promiscuous people do is literally incalculable. The effects of single parenthood (most of which is not the result of death or divorce) on poverty and crime rates are massive. The cultural effects of so many children never having witnessed a loving marriage are yet to be seen, but the fact that far less children are growing up witnessing stable relationships does not bode well.
I don't hold the Catholic position, but to vilify it as if it's massively harmful, and current cultural trends aren't far worse, ignores most of what's going on in society for the past few decades, in my opinion.
[I wish I could obey forum rules]
