First of all, can I just say to all Catholics, condolences, obviously, over the passing of the Pope. 

It's a big moment for the Catholic Church. 

I enjoyed this Pope. 

He seemed a little bit more fun than his predecessors, didn't he? He loved football, he loved saying things that got him in trouble, carried his own luggage. 

Seems like a normal guy, right? A normal guy who became the Pope. 

But if I'm honest with myself, setting that all to one side, I think he was ultimately quite disappointing as the Pope, wasn't he? 

Because he said a lot of stuff about wanting to be more liberal and be more inclusive, but he actually didn't do anything, did he? 

He didn't change anything about the way that the Catholic Church regards gay people. 

He didn't change anything about the way that the Catholic Church treats divorced people. 

He didn't change anything about the fact that women are completely excluded from serving as clergy in the Catholic Church. 

Now obviously, a generous explanation of this is that he tried but couldn't, because the Catholic Church is massive. 

I mean, there are 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, spanning a huge number of countries, completely different views, and changing something that big and that diverse and actually really fundamentally that conservative, takes a really long time. 

And so he did what he could, what he did was enough. 

It was enough to kind of set people, set the wheels in motion, if you like, get people talking about being a bit more kind to gay people and divorced people in particular, and that in time, he's planted the seeds that will then come to fruition in years and decades and Lord, maybe even centuries from here. 

And maybe that's right. 

Maybe that's exactly what he's done. 

But then, you know, he was chosen as pope by 3/4 of cardinals, which means that 3/4 of those dudes knew that they were choosing a liberal guy, and they were ready for a liberal guy. 

So I look at that, I think that he had a little bit more latitude than he actually used, even for just one change, in just one of those areas, maybe he could have done it. 

Also, while I love the fact that he was humble, he lived in a hostel and not a palace, he drove around in a cruddy car and not a flash limousine. He carried his own luggage, washed people's feet in public. 

I have to be honest with myself as well about that. 

That was performative, and he surely understood what he was doing. 

He did those things to be seen. 

But did he actually do anything to change the fact that the Catholic Church hoards all of its wealth and lives in opulence of upper levels? 

Did he actually do anything beyond this performance? 

Now, some commentators reckon that the real test of his legacy is going to be whether the next Pope, the next one that's chosen, is as liberal as he is and can actually push the church just a little bit more in that liberal direction. 

And if that does happen, then maybe Francis can be credited with having started some real change within the Catholic Church. 

And so, as in most cases, time will really be the judge of his legacy. 

But I'll tell you what, right here, if you had told me in 2013 when he was appointed Pope that he would die with nothing changed in the church, I wouldn't have believed it. 

So I'm disappointed. 

First of all, can I just say to all Catholics, condolences, obviously, over the passing of the Pope.&nbsp;
It's a big moment for the Catholic Church.&nbsp;
I enjoyed this Pope.&nbsp;
He seemed a little bit more fun than his predecessors, didn't he? He loved football, he loved saying things that got him in trouble, carried his own luggage.&nbsp;
Seems like a normal guy, right? A normal guy who became the Pope.&nbsp;
But if I'm honest with myself, setting that all to one side, I think he was ultimately quite disappointing as the Pope, wasn't he?&nbsp;
Because he said a lot of stuff about wanting to be more liberal and be more inclusive, but he actually didn't do anything, did he?&nbsp;
He didn't change anything about the way that the Catholic Church regards gay people.&nbsp;
He didn't change anything about the way that the Catholic Church treats divorced people.&nbsp;
He didn't change anything about the fact that women are completely excluded from serving as clergy in the Catholic Church.&nbsp;
Now obviously, a generous explanation of this is that he tried but couldn't, because the Catholic Church is massive.&nbsp;
I mean, there are 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, spanning a huge number of countries, completely different views, and changing something that big and that diverse and actually really fundamentally that conservative, takes a really long time.&nbsp;
And so he did what he could, what he did was enough.&nbsp;
It was enough to kind of set people, set the wheels in motion, if you like, get people talking about being a bit more kind to gay people and divorced people in particular, and that in time, he's planted the seeds that will then come to fruition in years and decades and Lord, maybe even centuries from here.&nbsp;
And maybe that's right.&nbsp;
Maybe that's exactly what he's done.&nbsp;
But then, you know, he was chosen as pope by 3/4 of cardinals, which means that 3/4 of those dudes knew that they were choosing a liberal guy, and they were ready for a liberal guy.&nbsp;
So I look at that, I think that he had a little bit more latitude than he actually used, even for just one change, in just one of those areas, maybe he could have done it.&nbsp;
Also, while I love the fact that he was humble, he lived in a hostel and not a palace, he drove around in a cruddy car and not a flash limousine. He carried his own luggage, washed people's feet in public.&nbsp;
I have to be honest with myself as well about that.&nbsp;
That was performative, and he surely understood what he was doing.&nbsp;
He did those things to be seen.&nbsp;
But did he actually do anything to change the fact that the Catholic Church hoards all of its wealth and lives in opulence of upper levels?&nbsp;
Did he actually do anything beyond this performance?&nbsp;
Now, some commentators reckon that the real test of his legacy is going to be whether the next Pope, the next one that's chosen, is as liberal as he is and can actually push the church just a little bit more in that liberal direction.&nbsp;
And if that does happen, then maybe Francis can be credited with having started some real change within the Catholic Church.&nbsp;
And so, as in most cases, time will really be the judge of his legacy.&nbsp;
But I'll tell you what, right here, if you had told me in 2013 when he was appointed Pope that he would die with nothing changed in the church, I wouldn't have believed it.&nbsp;
So I'm disappointed.&nbsp;

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Pope Francis was a disappointing Pope

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/593014c0-ef02-4d31-9937-b2c70181010f/transcript