Aside from Opus Dei sex scandals, the dodgiest Christians today tend to be the Evangelists. Most notably in Brazil - the largest Catholic country in the world - where one million Catholics switch every year to Evangelical Protestant Churches, often considered fundamentalist sects. Fervent and hugely politicized, many of the 40 evangelist Pastors and Bishops in the Brazilian Parliament are often the ones most often cited in corruption scandals, further powered by the churches where followers are obliged to pay a tenth of their wages.
Edir Macedo is the name of “the bishop”. Seen as a dark figure in Rio, he has created an empire in telecommunications through his Church (Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus) seen almost all over Brazil as well as Africa, Asia, USA and Europe. He even has a Church in Brixton, London. In 1992 Macedo was imprisoned for accusations of charlatanism, and spent some days in prison. Today Edir Macedo is the owner of TV Record, one of Globo’s main rivals.
