About Edir Macedo Edir Macedo Bezerra (born February 18, 1945) is a Brazilian religious leader. Macedo was raised Catholic, but by 1970 was a Pentecostal. He founded the "Neo-Pentecostal" Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil in 1977.His rapidly growing religious movement has been a source of controversy, as it is considered prosperity theology, i.e. those who follow his teachings are rewarded with material prosperity. His views about other faiths, particularly Catholicism, are also controversial. In 1992, he spent eleven days in jail on accusations of charlatanism. There were several protests, with his religious followers camping in front of the prison.