The rise of the mighty evangelicals filled with the spirit of capitalism

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Pass through the towering golden gates and you come to the reception area, where hidden guards eyeball visitors through tinted, bulletproof glass.

Then come the glistening marble floors and voluptuous balconies, the 25-metre heated indoor pool and the gigantic underground car park, filled with dozens of top of the range cars (the majority bulletproof). Finally there is the nearby helipad where illustrious guests can be whisked in and out of the neighbourhood without worrying about kidnapping or congestion.

This is the Place Vendôme, a towering residential complex in Chacara Klabin, a leafy haven in southern Sao Paulo for the elite and the seriously rich. But unlikely as it may seem, it was also until recently the site of one of the world's most luxurious vicarages and home to two of Brazil's most controversial religious figures, Estevam Hernandes Filho, a former Xerox marketing director known to followers as the Apostle, and his wife, "Bishop Sonia".

The Hernandes, who lead the Igreja Apostolica Renascer em Cristo (Reborn in Christ Church), are two of the most powerful and controversial religious leaders in Brazil, where the evangelical church grows bigger every day.

They are also two of Brazil's most wanted evangelicals, currently under house arrest in Miami. They will appear in court in the US this month accused of trying to smuggle $56,467 (£28,860) in cash through Miami airport.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/brazil/story/0,,2024906,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12

[kurth]

1. What kind of gay hooker does Estevam like?

and does Bishop Sonia like boys or girls?