Solomon’s Temple, which is a replica of the most revered house of worship in the Bible, was inaugurated on July 31 and it happens to be the largest church in the world. Located in Sao Paulo, this church spans over a million square feet and can house more than 10,000 worshippers at a time.
Brazil boasts the world’s largest Catholic population with 200 million people who comprise 60 percent of its inhabitants saying that they adhere by the Roman Catholic Church. However, the figures have definitely been on a sharp decline as Roman Catholics constituted roughly 92 percent of Brazil’s population in 1970. On the other hand, Protestant Evangelicals have been on a steady rise – having risen from 15.4 percent in 1970 to 22 percent today. According to an ongoing study, Roman Catholics will continue to face the downward trend with less than 50 percent associating themselves with the Vatican-based institution by 2030.
On the eve of the inauguration, Bishop Renato Cardoso from Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, said in an official video that those who wish to visit the Almighty at his home in Sao Paulo, should be dressed like they are going for an official meeting. This means that worshippers cannot wear hats, sleeveless shirts, sunglasses, shorts or sandals to Solomon’s Temple. Cardoso is the son-in-law of Edir Macedo, billionaire bishop who founded the Universal Church in 1977 in a small space in Rio de Janeiro. Today the church has approximately 1.8 million followers in Brazil alone.
For 69-year-old Macedo, building Solomon’s Temple was a way of defining his position in Brazil’s religious space. His church, which costs an estimated $300 million, not only dethrones the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, which was commissioned by the Catholic Church, but also overshadows the statue of Christ the Redeemer, another iconic Catholic structure in Rio de Janeiro.
Solomon’s Temple houses Italian marble and olive trees brought in from Israel, ornate chairs imported from Spain, a conveyor belt that carries the tithe of the faithful from the altar to the safe, two huge screens from Belgium, 10,000 LED bulbs that form star-shaped constellations, gigantic menorahs and a mega-temple alter shaped like the Ark of the Covenant. Several items in the Temple are gold-layered, and the complex also houses a museum about the Old Testament.
According to Macedo, the church will serve a much larger purpose than a mere house of worship. He hopes to turn it into a tourist attraction in Sao Paulo.
Macedo, who appeared on FORBES’ list of billionaires for the first time in 2013 with a net worth of $1.3 billion, has acquired most of his fortune from his ownership of Rede Record, the second largest broadcaster in Brazil. He bought the company in 1990 and it is unclear where he found the money to make the acquisition. While reports have suggested that he used church funds to make the purchase, and Brazil’s public ministry has interrogated him over it, Macedo has refused to comment. Macedo also owns 49 percent of Banco Renner, a private bank whose interest rates are among the highest in Brazil. That apart, he has been accused of siphoning off church funds, money laundering as well as charlatanism. However, he has never been convicted of a single crime.
Upon being notified about his inclusion in FORBES, Macedo said, “FORBES stated I am the richest pastor in Brazil. Once I heard that, I was furious. I’m not the richest pastor in Brazil — I am the richest pastor in the world! I doubt there is another pastor richer than I anywhere else.”
In the video below, you can hear his comments that went viral last year:
Photo Credits: TV Foco
