Until Monday, Eduardo Durán was a bishop of Chile’s Methodist Pentecostal Church.
Nevertheless, his wishes to divorce his wife of almost 40 years, marry his current partner and his alleged wealth of US$1.5 million resulted in his expulsion from the institution.
Regarding his wedding plans, he admitted in a speech that he is tired of cooking and ironing his clothes on his own.
Durán has also been under fierce scrutiny after he revealed he has almost US$200,000 in a bank account “only for emergencies” and that he just needs between US$4,500 and US$6,000 to live every month, in a country where the minimum wage just reached US$453 last March.
His income comes exclusively from tithing, which Durán himself estimated to reach US$45,000 on a monthly basis.
The former bishop is also known to have a passion for expensive cars. His last purchase, a Mercedes, is worth US$120.000, which he drives to “dignify” the church.
He has also been critised for buying his current wife an apartment at over US$100,000 and sharing thousands of dollars with some of his relatives. One of them was his son Eduardo, who has a seat in Congress.
He also contributed with half the money for a house for the church, which elders finally decided to register under his name. It cost a whopping US$540,000.
But Durán has faced detractors for some time. In 2012, during an official gathering, the higher echelons of the church decided to expell him due to the controversies that already surrounded him.
After that, he founded a variation of the church, the First Methodist Pentecostal Church, through which maintained his position.
At the moment, the Public Prosecutor’s Office conducts a investigation against him for money laundering.
