The Catholic church in Germany has revealed it is losing followers like never before, with more than half a million people deciding to renounce their membership last year. According to the Bonn-based German Bishops’ Conference, 522,821 people left the church in 2022, a number far surpassing predictions made by the institution itself and higher than most observers had expected. The previous record year for departures was set in 2021 when just under 360,000 people left. Thomas Schüller, a canon lawyer, said the church would struggle to recover from the fallout. “The Catholic church is dying a painful death in full...