Agreed.

As a catholic, you have two choices with regards to teh papacy.

1) Ally with and bribe it - the pope will love you

2) Ignore it - the pope will hate you, will wave papers in your face, and will be dead in a few turns (*insert comment about the UN here*)

I usually go for no1, but no2 is the only way to advance with some factions, such as the HRE