Business of faith: Evangelicals and Catholics raised R$ 5,2 million in two years.

Despite Alagoas being a poor state that depends on federal government funding to maintain important projects in areas such as public safety, education, and social assistance, the revenue of Catholic and Evangelical churches in the state jumped in one year from R$ 4.407.913,31 to R$ 5.263.852,52. The increase was recorded between 2011 and 2012.

The data shows an increase of almost one million reais in church revenue and was provided by the Federal Revenue Service through the Access to Information Law.

The amount may seem high, but divided among all followers of the two religions in the state, it results in a donation of just over one real per person. To give an idea of ​​the number of religious people in the state, the 2010 Census indicates that of the total population of Alagoas, 3.120.494 people, approximately 73% are Catholic and 16% are Evangelical.

It is known that religious temples have tax immunity approved by the Brazilian Constitution. However, churches must declare these amounts annually to the tax authorities. These declared values ​​are kept confidential.

According to sociologist Jorge Vieira, it's impossible to monitor all the money that passes through churches, and it's unknown how objective the statements are. "Even from an operational standpoint, it's complicated. It will depend on the ethics of the religious leader. There needs to be consistency in practice and in discourse," he said.

Despite this, he also stated that tax authorities are increasing their scrutiny of religious institutions. "This is causing churches to be more cautious when filing their tax returns."

According to Father Manoel Henrique, in the Catholic Church, the increase in collection is due to the increased awareness among the faithful regarding the payment of tithes, which is not mandatory. "In almost every parish there is a team that collects them."

The religious leader explained that part of the money is used for the maintenance of the church, while the other part of the collection is allocated to social activities.

"The church should not be characterized as a large money-collecting entity lest it become a business." Furthermore, Father Manoel spoke of the importance of transparency regarding the money collected. "The church's occupation is not to accumulate bank balances. If that happens, the institution will be losing its way in the world of capitalism," he said.

Pastor Leonardo Tomaz of the Quadrangular Gospel Church explains that tithes and offerings are intended for the "maintenance of God's works," that is, to support the church, pastors, staff, and charitable works. "We have already built almost 500 low-cost houses and distributed basic food baskets," the pastor pointed out.

According to the pastor, the increase in donations is due to the growth of the evangelical and Catholic communities and the increase in the minimum wage. "We have a monthly accounting. The money doesn't just go into the pastor's hands," he emphasized.

Leonardo stated that there are more than 15 churches of the Foursquare Gospel in Brazil, but emphasized that no one is obligated to tithe. "We teach what is in the Bible. No one is ostracized for practicing or not practicing it."