250 religious bookshops and some 3,000 publishing houses with titles of Christian content are participating in the internet project “buchreligion.de”, the first ecumenical portal for the Christian media, presented at Frankfurt on 11 July. The site is organized by the Evangelical Church and the Catholic Church and by their respective structures dedicated to the media. It is managed by the evangelical agency of communications “i-public” in Hesse. Some 50,000 books of Christian inspiration may be consulted and, if necessary, ordered on-line. “Even in the age of the Internet, books are indispensable”, said Peter Hasenberg, representative of the Catholic Episcopal Conference. The aim of the project is to “respond to the shortcomings of many on-line bookstores”, that offer “only a small part of religious literature”, added Hasenberg. Christof Vetter, spokesman of the Evangelical Church, emphasized that the internet bookshop may “represent an important contribution to ensuring that the Christian message remains present in public opinion”. The site is a showcase for the various media of Christian inspiration: the visitor is offered not only books, but also Cd-Roms, musical Cds and calendars.
