Evangelical Christian churches are luring Brazilians away from Roman Catholicism, the dominant religion in Brazil. In 1950, 94 percent of Brazilians said they were Catholic, but that number fell steadily to 74 percent by 2000.

The New York Times article mentions several churches, among which Renascer/Reborn in Christ — whose leaders are facing fraud, larceny, tax evasion and money laundering charges.

Fire department officials in Sao Paulo sorted through tons of debris Monday to determine what caused the roof of an evangelical church packed with worshipers to collapse just as evening service ended, with the toll in the disaster climbing to nine dead and 113 injured.

The church has also been plagued by scandal. Husband and wife founders Estevam and Sonia Hernandes, now living in the U.S., have been charged by Brazilian officials in connection with alleged fraud and money laundering. [video]

Brazil says it has temporarily suspended its request for the United States to extradite two leaders of an evangelical church to face money laundering charges.

The couple’s attorneys say money laundering is not covered by the Brazil-U.S. extradition treaty.