Australian Catholic groups push for progressive church reforms in wake of George Pell’s death

Catholic groups say George Pell’s ultraconservatism and opposition to reform had galvanised support for changes within the Catholic church. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

A coalition of 20 Catholic groups will this week push for significant reform of the church in Australia to make it more inclusive, saying the conservative stance of the late Cardinal George Pell “may have galvanised the mood” for change.

The Australasian Catholic Coalition for Church Reform will gather on Thursday – the same day as the funeral planned for Pell at Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral – in support of Pope Francis’s commitment to a more inclusive church and less autocratic and patriarchal leadership.