Juergen Christ, known in the network scene as "Bishop", was a fearless journ alist, an early pioneer of digital culture, and a staunch advocate for peace, democracy, and freedom of expression. He passed away in August 2025.

Obituary for Juergen "Bishop" Christ * 1962-2025
In the 1980s, Juergen founded the Underground Mailbox Cologne (UMC), one of
the first email systems in Germany. As the Hacker "Bishop", he united technology with philosophy and culture, calling computers "machines of art
and culture" and understanding digital networks as spaces of emancipation. In 1985 he launc hed the Computer Artists Cologne (CAC), a sister organization to the Chaos Computer Club "CCC".

Together with Wau Holland - close friend and companion -he developed ideas
that peacefully shaped the hacker scene, from creative resistance against the Bundespost to actions like the "protest ringing" 1995 against French nuclear te sts.

Juergen was closely connected with mailbox pioneer Guenther Leue, founder of GeoNet and an honorary member of the Chaos Computer Club. While Leue broke the postal mailbox systems in Germany, Juergen brought these ideas into social and political discourse. They were united by a pioneering spirit: to make digital communication free, secure, and democratically accessible.

He refused military service on the grounds that, as a hacker, he could keep
no secrets, bound as he was to truth and the sharing of information. He learned that his refusal had been accepted at the FoeBuD stand at CeBIT. There, the press team of FoeBuD, the CCC, and Juergen released a joint press statement-bearing the official CeBIT logo-which nearly led to FoeBuD being expelled from the fair.


Juergen recognized social upheavals early. In 1992, together with Wau Holland, he published the article "The End of Democracy" in the Leipziger Volkszeitung , foreseeing refugee crises, the rise of the new right, and ubiquitous mobile connectivity. In the same year, Juergen was already using the term "smartphone" years before it officially entered technical parlance.

His commitment was always to the democratic use of digital media. With the onlin
e conferencing system he developed, Tele-o-Log, he explored citizen participatio
n on the net in the 1990- with conferences on encryption, women in politics, w orking from home, and Europe's role. He was far ahead of his time. In parallel , online communities such as Telemat and Telematin emerged.

In 1997, together with Otfrid Weiss and other allies, Juergen published the Onli ne Magna Charta, also known as the Wartburg Charter. It called for a universal human right to digital existence, freedom of information, and a "virtual home" fundamental rights that are more relevant than ever today. UNESCO recognized this declaration as an important international contribution.

Juergen was not only a technological pioneer but also a political observer with a keen sense for grievances. As a journalist, he exposed political scandals in the 1990s, but his honesty and sensitivity made him too uncompromising for the rough-and-tumble of day-to-day politics. His stance was always: peace over violence, freedom over fear, humanity before power.

His life's path was closely linked to the memory of his friend Wau Holland. In
his 2021 speech on the film All Is One. Except 0, Juergen described their friendship as a decades-long struggle for digital literacy, openness, and protection against the abuse of new technologies.

Juergen Christ leaves traces as a visionary, a net activist, and a friend. He was a person who saw culture in technology, democracy in data, and humanity in com munication. His legacy is a mandate: to defend digital freedom and human dignity with love, courage, and an open visor.

Juergen always shaped his life with self-determination and, not unexpectedly, passed away after a few days in palliative care on 17 August 2025.

We are grateful for the time we were able to share with you.

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