The U.S. bishops’ Catholic Communication Campaign has been offering since March resources to provide accurate information on the life of Jesus and the origins of Christianity prior to the release of the movie based on Dan Brown’s novel “The Da Vinci Code.”

Resources include a Web site, www.jesusdecoded.com, which is generating 60 to 100 e-mails a day, and a television documentary shot on location in Israel, Turkey and Italy about early church history, which has been offered to television stations affiliated with the NBC network. The documentary, also entitled “Jesus Decoded,” is expected to be aired on WXIA-TV, Channel 11, in Atlanta in the future. It will be shown this weekend on NBC affiliates in Albany, Augusta and Columbus, Ga.

In addition, the Catholic Communication Campaign has produced a 16-page booklet entitled “The Authentic Jesus,” which is available in individual copies and bulk sales. Bulletin inserts based on the same material are also available from USCCB Publishing.

The Web site provides accurate information on Jesus, Catholic teaching, and various topics explored in “The Da Vinci Code.” The site explains Catholic beliefs and includes articles from theologians, media commentators, art experts, and others that provide background and also rebut speculation and inaccuracies about Christ and the origins of Christianity. The Opus Dei prelature contributed to the Web site also.

Patricia Garcia of the USCCB Communications staff said May 16 the Web site has generated a large volume of e-mail.

The hour-long CCC documentary has been made available to NBC stations starting on the weekend of May 20-21. Shot on location by NewGroup Media, the documentary concentrates on the first three centuries of the development of the Church. It highlights clear and accurate information about the person of Jesus, his disciples, and the formation of the books in the canon (list of books) of the New Testament. Interviews with international scholars versed in art, history, and Scripture help separate truth from fiction.

It will be aired on WALB-TV 10 in Albany and WAGT-TV 26 in Augusta at noon on Sunday, May 21, and on WLTZ-TV 38 in Columbus at 11 p.m. the same day.

The documentary is also available for purchase on DVD from USCCB Publishing.

The booklet, produced by the USCCB Committee on Communications, presents authentic Catholic teaching about Jesus and his divinity, the New Testament, Gnosticism, women and the Church, and other topics in a question-and-answer format.

The Catholic Communication Campaign is an activity of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that develops media programming, public service announcements, and other resources to promote Gospel values.