A "Francis bishop" in Germany says Church is becoming irrelevant
Bishop Heiner Wilmer says Catholicism must find alternative ways to 'radiate presence and charisma'
Bishop Heiner Wilmer of Hildesheim. (Photo by Moritz Frankenberg/dpa/MaxPPP)
Catholics in Germany formally left the Church in record numbers last year. The exact figure was 272,771 – a statistic recently confirmed by the national episcopal conference.