“Does Rav Ovadia have something on the Shulchan Aruch?”
In a biography that I have about Ran Ovadia Yosef, it says that he always held like the B”Y, except for 53 times. When you consider that there are like 10,000 siifim in the Shulchan Aruch, 53 times is not much. In one instance, the biography states that R”OY said that the the B”Y did not have a copy of the R”OSh for that inyan. We now have that girsa, so even the B”Y would agree to the change.
______________________________________
“Why should Ashkenazim learn Yabia Omer if we don’t posken according to Rav Ovadiah? “
To learn his derech halimud and psak. You might pasken differently, but his clarity and completeness are amazing.
____________
You can download the Kitzur Yalkut Yosef for free on Android in the play store.
_______________
“I’m reading the Halacha of the Ben Ish Chai… He frequently quotes the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe…, .. the Chida and Rav Palachi and other authorities — the Malbim and Rav Eibshitz too! “
Rav Ovadia Yosef was critical of the Ben Ish Chai because ROY felt that the BICh somewhat deviated from the Sephardic Halachic Tradition by including Ashkenazic psak and also Kabbalistic psak.
This is not to say that ROY didn’t have the utmost respect for the BICh. He did. But he felt that he had to voice his opinion as needed. ROY used to teach a BICh class(I believe in depth) on Sundays. He taught through the BICh 10 times and wrote a commentary based on those classes. He published that commentary, and it’s called Halichot Olam.