German Catholicism is in crisis as hundreds of thousands formally leave the institution each year, threatening to turn it into a “minority Church,” an expert said on Thursday. The number may have reduced last year compared to the previous year, but the trend is stark: In 2022, the number of people leaving was more than half a million, a dramatic negative record; In 2023, the figure was 402,694, the German Bishops’ Conference announced in the city of Bonn on Thursday. A total of 20.3 million people in Germany now belong to the Catholic Church. The number could fall below the 20-million mark for…