Meet Inri Cristo: the Man Who Believes he is Reincarnation of Christ

Inri Cristo, a 66-year-old man from Brazil, has believed himself to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ since 1979.

Inri, previously named Álvaro Theiss, has spent 35 years travelling the world in order to spread the word of God, and over the years has gathered hundreds of followers.

Inri also runs his own church, the "Soust" (Suprema Ordem Universal da Santmssima Trindade) in Brasilia, that he referes to as "New Jerusalem".

Many of the disciples who live at his church – mostly women - have followed him for decades; Abevere, 86, has been following him for 32 years.

Inri has been arrested over 40 times due to his statements and way of dressing. His controversial views on Christmas, capitalism and abortion have resulted in his being barred from Britain, Venezuela and the US.

According to Inri, Christmas is just an opportunity for rich people to humiliate the poor. He has said, "[Christmas] is a day when the little sons of the rich can show the gifts they received while the poor children only get a crumb. So it is a very sad day for anyone who sees things with the eyes that I see."

On abortion, Inri has said, " Life as it is known (union of the matter with the spirit) only happens when the newly-born breathes the air for the first time".

Inri first understood that he was Christ during a religious fast in Santiago, Chile, in 1979.

Since childhood he had been following a powerful voice in his head, but it was only on this occasion that the voice told him, "I am your Father. The God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob."

In the face of criticism, his rhetoric is philosophical and apocalyptic by turns: "I can be crazy but not dumb. Madness is different from dementia. It is the mother of philosophers, prophets and inventors.

"My mission is to prepare the elect, the survivors of the inevitable nuclear hecatomb that will culminate in the end of this chaotic world, for the formation of the new earthly society, which will strive to fulfil the Creator's will."