Carol Hunt: Despite the new papal tone, little has changed

Pope Francis.

What's not to like? 

After the doctrinal hard line of the two previous incumbents, the Argentinian seems a modest, conciliatory breath of liberal fresh air. 

He lives in a guesthouse, cooks for himself, drives a Ford Focus and spends his time calling up complete strangers to ask how they're doing. 

During Holy Week, he washed the feet of a young Muslim girl. 

He's wry and funny, saying nuns should not act like "old maids" when with just a smile they could be "like flight attendants" and that "even atheists can be saved" – although the Vatican was quick to point out that he didn't mean this literally.

Last week, Francis suspended the German 'Bishop of Bling'. He's sharply criticised those who've been hung up on all the sexual aspects of church teaching; garnering near universal adulation when he told a Jesuit publication that his church was too "obsessed" with abortion, gay rights and birth control and risked becoming a "house of cards". He admits that he isn't in a position to judge gay people.

He has increased the maximum sentence in the Vatican State from 10 to 12 years for child sex abusers. He's also on record as saying that the St Patrick Day's parade in New York next year should have a Gay Pride section; he's planning a list of the first new female priests whom he will personally ordain and he's allocating a sizeable chunk of Vatican Bank monies for the purchase of condoms to be immediately distributed throughout Africa.

Okay, I made that last sentence up. 

But to judge from the ecstasy and adoration of a vast array of liberal commentators – some of whom are neither Catholic nor Christian– one would be forgiven for thinking that the new Pope is a cross between a reincarnated Christopher Hitchens and Princess Diana, with a bit of Mahatma Gandhi thrown in.

Last week, our own 'troublesome' priest, Father Brian D'Arcy, announced the launch of his new book, Food for the Soul. 

Despite having been censured by the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly The Inquisition), because of his repeated questioning of Catholic teachings on matters like celibacy, women priests and contraception, D'Arcy says that there is nothing in his latest writings "that Pope Francis hasn't said". 

He continued: "I don't believe there would be any grounds for censuring me again or any attempt to shut me up." 

D'Arcy added that he would resign if the Vatican tries to censure him again.

But word on the street is that the church is "seeking new balance". 

With the intellectual Jesuit Francis at the helm, we can look forward to a new, rational, enlightened chapter in the history of the Catholic Church, can't we? 

I mean, people, even The Guardian is raving about this Pope's liberal ideals – so they must be kosher. 

And certainly Pope Francis has a lovely way about him – his tone is gentle, his manner engaging; he seems like a genuinely sincere man. 

But a liberal he is not.

When Pope Francis castigated Catholics for being "obsessed" with contraception, abortion, gay rights, etc ... he did not mean that Catholic teaching was about to change on any of these issues – just that there were other important issues to think about, like poverty and social justice.

Francis talks a lot about poverty. And he's right to do so. The scandal of preventable poverty worldwide is indeed sinful.

Yet one of the quickest and best ways to lift families and communities out of poverty is to invest in gender equality and reproductive rights for women; this is one of the biggest human rights issues in the world.

On gender equality, Francis is as reluctant to concede an inch as his predecessors.

On women priests, Francis has categorically said "that door is closed".

Actually, he had to say it twice, because his new fans seem to be struck dumb with adoration.

He is continuing Pope Benedict's investigation into the group representing 80 per cent of Amer-ica's nuns (Leadership Conference of Women Religious), accusing them of being feminists who put social justice before issues like contraception and abortion.

On women's reproductive rights, Francis is staunchly on the same page as his predecessors, recently quoting Pope Benedict's line on the connection between "openness to life" and "social justice" to a gathering of gynaecologists.

In churchspeak this means: no contraception, no abortion and no capital punishment.

And though we must admire the consistency of the church's "pro-life" stance, the bottom line is that far, far more innocent women die from dangerous pregnancies and botched abortions than convicted murderers from the death penalty.

On clerical child abuse, while he is congratulated for increasing the Vatican sentence, one would have to ask: why not let established secular law prevail?

On married priests, it seems that though Pope Francis may be willing to "discuss" admitting already married men to the priesthood for pastoral reasons (or as deacons), he has never indicated a wish to break the discipline of celibacy for ordained priests.

In addition, last month Australian priest Greg Reynolds was excommunicated by Pope Francis, seemingly because he supported women's ordination and gay marriage.

"I am very surprised that this order has come under his watch; it seems so inconsistent with everything else he has said and done," Reynolds said.

Perhaps Fr Brian D'Arcy should take note?

Francis may say that the church is "not an NGO but a story of love", but, despite the welcome new tone, the genuine modesty and kindness, the warmth and sense of fun, nothing has changed.

As one commentator put it, "governance of the church will continue to present a Saudi-like front of solid, if not necessarily hetero-sexual, masculinity, and its all-important sacraments will continue to be dispensed by men alone."

So there you have it, folks, the Pope is still a Catholic.