John Moody to Newsmax: Pope Francis 'Ran Roughshod' Over Church Traditions

Pope Francis was "one of the most confrontational and contentious popes" in modern times, author John Moody told Newsmax on Monday morning.

Moody, author of "The World We Wish," appeared on "Wake Up America" hours after the Vatican confirmed Francis' death at 88.

"Francis made a very serious, and, I think, honest attempt to reach out to people that he considered disenfranchised," Moody told host Sharla McBride. "The poor refugees, people who were victims of political and personal abuse. Those were the clients, so to speak, that Francis wanted to bring aboard the Roman Catholic Church.

"And there's nothing wrong with that. In doing so, though, he ran roughshod over some of the traditions of the church. And I think that there's no way to say one thing about his legacy without mentioning the other. He tried to change things. He broke a few glasses on the way, and he'll be remembered for both."

Moody elaborated on the pope's legacy.

"I think any time a pope dies, there's a level of regret and of sadness," he said. "This pope, however … is one of the most confrontational and contentious popes of the last couple of centuries.

"He was elected because he was different from John Paul II, because he was different from Benedict. And he very quickly set out to change some of the fundamental outlooks of the Roman Catholic Church that delighted some liberals."

Moody added that the Roman Catholic Church and its rules and regulations "has weathered 2,000 years of experience."

"So sometimes Pope Francis' decisions seemed a little bit ill-considered and hasty," he said.

"I think perhaps more than any other single quote was his question to the Vatican press corps. 'Who am I to judge?' When he was asked about homosexuality and that was perhaps something that some Catholics wanted to hear. It was certainly something that a lot of Catholics did not want to hear from the leader of the Roman Catholic Church."

Moody also spoke about the pope's Easter blessing to thousands of people in St. Peter's Square on Sunday despite a recent bout with pneumonia.

"I think any serious leader of any large organization, and there are very few as large as the Roman Catholic Church, will do whatever is necessary to be with his flock, to be with the people that he cares about and who care about him," Moody said. "So wonderful that he was able to do it on Easter.

"Perhaps not a surprise, because, among other things, he wanted to be remembered as a strong leader. I'm not sure that will be his legacy, but that's what he wanted."

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