EXACTLY 60 YEARS 9 MONTHS AGO SENATOR M B CHUKWUBIKE SAID IN THE PARLIAMENT...

 

Senator MB Chukwubike

AFTER 60 YEARS OF  THESE MOTIONS, ADVICES AND MONITORS,  WHERE ARE WE NOW IN NIGERIA & AFRICA?

BENNETH SUNDAY CHUKWUBIKE GOES HOME (RIP)

 Ben Tito goes home:

 One  of  the  strong pillars   in the Chukwubike's family.

He was  very,sociable, peaceful, respectful and great achiever 

 May his  soul rest in peace

It is  really painful to bury another Chukwubike  within a month, however we still continue  to be grateful to God  for all his mercies.

Chukwu bu-ike  anyi

WINGS OF DISTINCTION: MEMOIR OF A FIGHTER PILOT (AVM CHRIS.N CHUKWU)OON

                                                                           PREFACE

Some are born great; some achieve greatness; some have greatness thrust on them.

- William Shakespeare

 

Air Vice Marshal Christian Ndubisi Chukwu was neither born great nor had greatness thrust on him. He achieved greatness by sheer hard work and providence. But in this, his story would be scarcely unique. It would seem that most great people all over the world started life from humble beginnings. Check out the biographies or autobiographies of the likes of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa and Moshood Abiola. Read about Kwame Nkrumah and Nelson Mandela. Then Abraham Lincoln, regarded as the foremost American President and one of the America’s founding fathers. In our own generation, read the story of Barack Obama who rose to become the first African-American President of the United States. None of these great people could be said to have been born great or had greatness thrust on them. All achieved greatness by dint of hard work. Yet, Aliko Dangote, the present richest man in Africa may have been born with silver spoon but, by his own account, while in primary school, he used to buy and sell sweets – not for fun but to make money.

Yet, as you begin to study the lives of great people, you discover that though they may have something in common in their humble beginnings, along the line their stories become unique. This is also true of Air Vice Marshal Christian Chukwu. In fact, in his case, the story is not only unique but exceptionally so.  

AVM Christian Chukwu was the seventh son of ten children, seven boys and three girls. The mother had hoped he would be a girl so that she would be going to Omugo. But not yet. She would have daughters, three of them in fact, but that was after Chris, this child of destiny. Did I just say “destiny”? We have all heard about the stories of some people referred to as, “stranger than fiction.” The story of AVM Chukwu is definitely one of them.

There is a chapter titled, “Liberia: The Smell of Death”. It was not once, not twice but several times that AVM Chukwu smelt death in the course of his hazardous career, particularly during his ECOMOG mission. In fact, the smell of death ran from his father, Albert Chukwu, through his eldest brother and mentor, the legendary Sqn Ldr John Chukwu down to himself.

Yes, the smell of death had run through the family. His late father, Albert Chukwu, was lured into slavery by a teacher he was living with in his native hometown of Nenwe to Ishiagu in the present-day Ebonyi State. The chief of the town who had bought the little Albert of about 9 or 10 years planned to use him for sacrifice to the gods of the town. By Providence Albert came to know about the evil plan. He escaped into the thick forest in the middle of the night. He later recorded this episode in his diary. His escape was miraculous because he could have been devoured by wild animals or recaptured by the natives who were sent by the chief to comb the forest. Albert smelt death but he escaped and eventually returned to his family. Had he not escaped, obviously, we would not be reading the story of AVM Chukwu today.

The story of the late Sqn Ldr John Ikeokwu Chukwu, AVM Chukwu’s eldest brother and role model would require a book in its own right. Here was one of the best trained Nigerian fighter pilots who had already showed his prowess but found himself on the side of Biafra during the Nigerian civil war. He was the leading Biafran fighter pilot who caused a lot of havoc on the Nigerian military targets at the early stages of the war. JC smelt death when his aircraft came under attack of Nigerian anti-aircraft batteries over a town in the Niger Delta and a bullet pierced his body and exited but missed his heart, spine and head. That was miraculous.

Sqn Ldr John Ikeokwu Chukwu

John or JC as he was popularly called, was among the pioneer Nigerian Air Force cadets sent to train in Germany in 1963. Among his course mates was Ibrahim Alfa, a lifelong bosom friend who after the war sought and took JC out from where he was hiding with the family and ensured that he was reabsorbed into the Nigerian Air Force. That rare account of former friends turned warring enemies and later re-uniting as friends again, is one of the stranger-than-fiction anecdotes in this book, which incidentally AVM Chukwu witnessed live as a boy of just nine years. That experience, according to Christian, was the motivation for him to become a soldier, and indeed serves as the starting point of this personal account of his military career. Thus, when unfortunately, we lost JC in 1978 at his prime, aged 35 years, due to illness, it was only a question of time before Christian Chukwu stepped into the giant shoes his brother left behind.

The story of AVM Chukwu is laced with adventures. During his Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) in the United States in 1982, he also caused some anxiety for his instructors. On a solo sortie one fateful night, his jet developed electrical fault. The control tower advised Chukwu to declare emergency so that he could be given priority landing. This dare-devil and self-assured fighter-pilot in the making declined the advice and went ahead to perfectly land the jet with what they call EXTD (excellent touch down). That incident raised his profile but also earned him the sobriquet, “that Nigerian student who flies around at night without light”.

Air Marshal Ibrahim Mahmud Alfa

Now, if the younger Chukwu’s solo night flight experience in the United States was seamless, that was not the case with “Aggressors in Thunderstorm” later in Nigeria. It was another case of smelling death by the AVM. He and three other “Aggressors” had gone for military exercise, named, DOKO NDAPONGI around Bida in 1987 with four Alpha-Jet aircraft. They had successfully completed the simulation of the battlefield interdiction, with the army troops. When the Aggressors finally departed, bad weather had enveloped the Kaduna military base and they were diverted to the civilian airport. Meanwhile, they were all running out of fuel and the weather at the civilian airport was equally terrible. While the pilots were manoeuvring their jets with poor vision, Chris almost collided with another aircraft. According to him, if he had stretched out his hand, he would have touched that aircraft. Instinctively, he ducked expecting to hear a bang but as he did not hear any, he knew he was still alive. As a very experienced jet pilot, Chukwu made quick decisions and diverted to Zaria where he managed to glide the jet to land at the small airfield with fuel virtually at zero. This narrow escape was the first time he personally experienced what they had been told during training, about pilots’ knees involuntarily knocking together after a narrow escape. He later learnt that the rest of the aggressors also experienced the same thing!

There are several of these near mishaps which would hold the reader spellbound. Most of these happened during his altogether nineteen months of participation in the ECOMOG operations on many occasions, between 1990 and 1994. They included what he calls, “Mysterious Spin over the Atlantic” and “Near Death at Omega Tower.” However, the climax of these near-death missions is titled, “A Date with the Rebels.” Their mission was to destroy the convoy of trucks conveying Charles Taylor’s troops and ammunitions to Buchannan Port. As is often the case, Chukwu was leading the attack with a wingman. With professional efficiency he accomplished the task and was ready to return to their base at Lungi airport in Sierra Leone. Alas, his jet was hit by anti-aircraft canons and a large part of the canopy was blown off, missing his head by inches. Before long the remaining chunk of his canopy broke off and the plane was virtually tumbling. If he ejected, he would either have been caught by enemy troops or devoured by crocodiles or other wild animals in the swamps below. Chukwu finally decided to head to Spriggs airfield regardless of the long-range artillery fire from the enemy. He landed safely without canopy, applying the necessary procedures from his several years of training and experience. There was wild jubilation among his colleagues in Lungi, when eventually he and his wingman arrived there that night. Before then, there was much panic because of the news put out by the Taylor’s men that they had shot down two Nigerian jets. In fact, that rumour also reached Nigeria and naturally to Nenwe people. For Chukwu, “This was one of those missions I will never forget.”

If one were to summarise the military career of AVM Chukwu in one word, one could say it was a life of encounters with death at every corner but surviving to tell the story the next day. But it is also the story of military professionalism, excellence, brilliance, hard work, courage, devotion to duty and above all, love of fatherland. Indeed, it is a fascinating and inspiring story.

Enough of the hazardous zone. There is also the life of the soldier which is full of training, simulations and exercises, particularly in peace time. For the fighter pilots, aerial demonstrations are their stagecraft. From 1^st October 1985 as a young Fg Offr, up to attaining the rank of AVM, Chukwu was involved in virtually all aerial demonstrations of the Nigerian Air Force, whether during National Day celebrations or the Nigerian Air Force Day celebrations.

The most memorable of the AVM’s aerial demonstrations was the Air Force Day celebration of 15 April 2000 held in Enugu, his home State. As a Wing Commander then, Chukwu was the leader of the four-ship L-39 aerobatic team and the one who performed the solo aerobatics. Chris was at his best in the aerial manoeuvres. As I read the account, of what he was doing with the jet up in the sky, with several turns and even inverted flights and landing in a short distance, involuntary tears of admiration were running down my cheeks. One can then imagine how the spectators who watched the show live felt; spectators that included his family members and particularly his mother!

Chukwu attained the zenith of his career in the Nigerian Air Force with promotion to Air Vice Marshal (Major General) in 2010 and disengaged on 13^th August 2016, after excellently serving his country for 37 years. He deservedly earned his promotions and has been honoured in several circles, including by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Nigeria Air Force and his Nenwe Community. The Federal Government first conferred on him the National Honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) and in 2000 upgraded it to the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON). In 2017, his hometown, Nenwe, bestowed on him the title of NKPUME NENWE (ROCK OF NENWE).

AVM Chukwu, to borrow from Julius Caesar, has come, seen and conquered. He was not only a brave fighter pilot but also an instructor pilot who brought up generations of fighter pilots. In doing so, he instilled in his students, high level professionalism, discipline and courage. In his military career, he believed that one must go the extra mile if one wants to achieve extraordinary results. For this, he advised young pilots to operate “with the highest level of proficiency … they will need the survival instinct and the angel of good luck on their side.”

Chris is a very fulfilled man, an officer and complete gentleman. Very unassuming, approachable, religious, humane, highly respectful and respected, the comments on his personality and character by some close colleagues who cut across ethnic and religious affiliations, included in this volume, are very inspiring. He is known to have always assisted both subordinates and colleagues to further their career, because, as one of his colleagues, AVM Zannah, revealed, “Chukwu, because he is sure of himself, therefore he never sees anybody as a threat to his career”. In the same vein, he has been providing guidance to young people both from his community and across Nigeria to make a career in the military. Characteristic of his humaneness, he reproduced in this volume his emotional Ode (Tribute) to some of his fallen colleagues. Furthermore, AVM Chukwu, though he did not amass wealth, has decided to be touching the lives of the less privileged with whatever resources are available. To this end, he and his adorable wife have established a charity organisation they named, in memory of the two great mentors in Chukwu’s life, JohnAlfa Foundation.

This memoir of the life and military career of AVM Chris Chukwu, is simply unputdownable. It is a privilege and honour for me to be among those who read the manuscript and to be requested to write the Foreword. It is a story of courage and adventures with remarkable anecdotes. We often hear about something being one in a million. This book perfectly belongs to that category. It should be an inspirational book not only for those aspiring for service in the Military in general and Air Force in particular but also for the Nigerian youth in general. For military authorities and the general reader, it is a must read for knowledge and relaxation.

Professor Mike Maduagwu

Directing Staff,

National Institute for Security Studies. Bwari – Abuja.

(Former Senior Fellow/Directing Staff

National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru – Jos).

May, 2020. 

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EDITED VERSIONS OF COMMENTS

 

This autobiography is indeed a masterpiece on the life journey of Air Vice Marshal Christian Ndubuisi Chukwu so far. Certainly, it is a commentary depicting an insight into the environments in which he grew up and worked. Generally, his sojourn through the Nigerian Air Force, and particularly his escapades as a fighter pilot was aptly captured in this exciting book. It will be an interesting read for all book lovers across board and should serve as motivation for younger readers who may wish to have a career as pilots in the Nigerian Air Force.

While in Service, he brought to bear appreciable courage, tenacity, integrity and excellence in executing specified and assigned tasks, while appropriately applying the experience so acquired in dealing with issues outside the Service. Overall, he exhibited exemplary leadership in his personal and professional conduct, which endeared him to superiors, contemporaries and subordinates alike. Congratulations on this onerous achievement and best wishes always. 

AIR VICE MARSHAL MOHAMMED S USMAN

Chief of Defence Intelligence, Nigeria

 

 

Reading through the scintillating life history of AVM Christian Ndubisi Chukwu held me spell bound for several days. This book climaxes the dexterity of a man bound in several talents. It could not have come at a better time than now that it seems excellence has taken flight in our national mores. Many of those who come across Christian, on the face value, may be tempted to take him for granted due to his unassuming nature. However, beneath that simplicity is a sapphire. A man so determined relentlessly, even in the face of mounting difficulties in the nation, to strive to be the best he can be, as vividly captured by this memoir.  I am glad that he eventually acquiesced himself to render his story for the benefit of younger generations of Nenwe, Enugu State and the Nigerian Air Force. It is indeed a biography like no other.

 

AIR COMMODORE CJE OZOEMENA (rtd) fdc

Ogbanukwu II

 

 

 

Avm Chris  Chukwu 

FOREWORD

I am delighted to comment on the book “Wings of Distinction” — Career Memoir of a Fighter Pilot” by Air Vice Marshal Christian Ndubuisi Chukwu, OON (rtd). The publication of the book is indeed very timely, coming at a time that the career experiences of distinguished senior officers are needed for the guidance and motivation of serving members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, particularly the junior and mid-career officers, in the face of daunting national security challenges.

A memoir is a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge. This is exactly what the author has articulated in his “Wings of Distinction” presented in 3 parts — early life, operational experience and fruits of distinction which detailed his personality, non-military life and achievements. His local and foreign training prepared him for the exemplary operational accomplishments in the various tours of duty he had, especially during the ECOMOG operations. The “Wings of Distinction” is replete with accounts of enviable accomplishments of the senior officer during his 37 years of Service to the nation.

The experience as captured in the book are commendable and worthy of emulation, I hereby recommend the book to all serving and retired military officers as well as all stakeholders in military career development. I heartily congratulate the author for the publication, which is a remarkable asset to the promotion of Military Service.

General AG OLONISAKIN NAM

Chief of Defence Staff, Nigeria

JEE NKE OMA : CHIDERA COLLINS HARRISON (RIP)

 È stato un 14 agosto molto tragico nelle famiglie di Harrison ChukwuMba e Chukwubike in Italia.

Chidera Collins Harrison (una delle nostre seconde generazioni) è morto durante una vacanza in famiglia. La tragedia è stata così dura per la famiglia, l'intera città di Cisterna, la Provincia di Latina, le comunità Enugu e nigeriane in Italia da quel giorno.

Sua madre Ebere Prescilia Harrison, la zia ,mia moglie Ndidi Harrison e altri numerosi fratelli in Europa e in tutto il mondo sono difficili da consolare.

Possa la sua anima riposare in pace .

Ci ha lasciato troppo presto...

In così poco tempo hai riempito i nostri cuori di tanto amore.

Chidera, non sarai mai dimenticato ! ti amiamo.

Possa la tua anima riposare in pace

I funerali del nostro amato Chidera si svolgeranno venerdì 21 agosto 2020 entro le ore 15 presso la Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Francesco Cisterna di Latina.

Contributi commemorativi possono essere effettuati a un ente di beneficenza di vostra scelta o alla madre del deceduto (Post Pay) IT86X3608105138299169499200 -Harrison Prescilia Ederechukwu

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It  was a very fatal 14th August in the Families of Harrison ChukwuMba & Chukwubike  in Italy.

Chidera Collins Harrison (one of our 2nd generations) died during a family holiday.The tragedy has been so hard on the family, the whole City of Cisterna, Latina provence, the Enugu and Nigerian communities in Italy since that day. 

His  mother  Ebere  Prescilia Harrison, his aunty, my wife Ndidi Harrison  and other numerous siblings in Europe and all over the world are hard to console.

May his soul  Rest in peace .

Gone too soon...

In such a short time you filled our hearts with so much love. 

Chidera, you will never be forgotten  we love you.

May your soul Rest In Peace

The funeral of our beloved Chidera will take place on Friday 21st August 2020 by 3pm at San Francesco Parish church Cisterna di Latina.

Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of your choice or to the mother of the deceased (Post Pay) IT86X3608105138299169499200  -Harrison Prescilia Ederechukwu

Announced:  by Charles O. Chukwubike

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GOD LOVES DIVERSITY ..THUS DIVERSITY OF GIFTS...(Chukwubike)

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

by Grant Richison | Nov 14, 2002 | 1 Corinthians | 7 comments

Read Introduction to 1 Corinthians

4 “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.” 

Now the Holy Spirit through Paul turns to diversity and catalogue of spiritual gifts. God’s plan for the church is diversity, not uniformity, in spiritual gifts. Each member of the Trinity has a role in spiritual gifts: the Holy Spirit distributes the gifts, the Lord places people in ministry, and the Father empowers people to do ministry. There are varieties in gifts, ministries, and effects but they all have sameness in the Trinity. God’s doctrine is diversity in unity, not uniformity.

12:4

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

The word “gift” is the Greek word charismata. The charis part of the word means grace. The ma portion of the word is the passive suffix meaning that it is a grace given. They are grace-gifts. God did the giving or bestowing of the gift upon us. These gifts are not native within us like natural talents. Both Christian and non-Christian alike share capacity for talent but only Christians have spiritual gifts. A gift is a special, supernatural enablement or capacity to do the work of God. Spiritual gifts are not natural capacities; they are supernaturally bestowed capacity.

“Diversities” means distributions, distinctions, allotments, apportionments. The word suggests a separation of something already joined together. God distributes gifts in many varieties. No one gets all the “gifts” for there are different kinds for different people. There are about 20 gifts listed in the New Testament (Ephesians 4:7-11; 1 Corinthians 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:11).

The “same Spirit” is the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is the source of all gifts. Sameness comes from source.

12:5

There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.

As there are diversities of gifts, there are differences of ministry opportunity as well. The word “differences” is the same Greek word as “diversities” in verses four and six. The word “ministries” means forms of services. The plural means different kinds of services. It is possible to have the same gift but have a different ministry. Some may use the gift of evangelism in child evangelism while others may use it on the campus. There is variety in uses of gifts. God does not give special supernatural capacities for the self but to serve.

It is the “same Lord,” that is, the second person of the Trinity, that gives different kinds of service. All ministries represent Christ. We are here to represent Him.

12:6

And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.

The third category of “diversities” is “activities.” The word “activities” means effects and literally has the idea of what is worked out or energized. This word in the Greek (energemata – energizing) means manifestations of the Spirit’s power as over against human power. This is operational power. God empowers the effect. As with gifts and ministries, God gives different effects or results to ministry. There are different results from the use of gifts. God gives some ministries more fruit than others. Ministries to Muslims do not have the same fruit as other ministries.

It is the “same God,” that is, God the Father who works “all in all.” God works all the gifts in all persons.

PRINCIPLE: 

God loves diversity, not uniformity.

APPLICATION: 

God loves diversity. He does not use a cookie-cutter to stamp out the same pattern of gifts. Diversity has its underpinning in God Himself. He makes Christians wonderfully different from each other. A choir is one but has at least four sections: bass, tenor, alto, and soprano. Each contributes to a unity of beautiful music. This is more beautiful than a choir of all sopranos. There are many members in the choir but there is only one conductor. A football team with uniformity of all guards is not very exciting or effective. The Christian does not have anything to say about whether he plays guard or quarterback.

Spiritual gifts do not indicate merit or spirituality. We do not have a gift because we are better than someone else or because we have had a certain kind of experience. None of us earns or deserves a gift. It is something we discover and use. We cannot say, “What a great person I am because I have such-and-such gift.” What gifts we possess reside in the sovereign decision of God the Trinity.

God gives special, supernatural gifts to every Christian without exception. Each gift is as important as any other gift. God specially designs each gift for each believer. We cannot do God’s work without special endowment of a spiritual gift. Christian work is simply exercising our spiritual gift. There is no difference between a preacher and a plumber. There is no such thing as a “layman.”

We can neglect our gift or fail to use it but if we do, it will atrophy. If we do not use a muscle, it will atrophy and become weaker and weaker. The Holy Spirit enables us to use our gifts.

source 

DEUS VULT...GOD WILLS IT......(Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095.)

In 1094 or 1095, Alexios I Komnenos, the Byzantine emperor, sent to the pope, Urban II, and asked for aid from the west against the Seljuq Turks, who taken nearly all of Asia Minor from him. At the council of Clermont Urban addressed a great crowd and urged all to go to the aid of the Greeks and to recover Palestine from the rule of the Muslims. The acts of the council have not been preserved, but we have five accounts of the speech of Urban which were written by men who were present and heard him.

[adapted from Thatcher] Here is the one by the chronicler Fulcher of Chartres. Note how the traditions of the peace and truce of God - aimed at bringing about peace in Christendom - ties in directly with the call for a Crusade. Does this amount to the export of violence?

Most beloved brethren: Urged by necessity, I, Urban, by the permission of God chief bishop and prelate over the whole world, have come into these parts as an ambassador with a divine admonition to you, the servants of God. I hoped to find you as faithful and as zealous in the service of God as I had supposed you to be. But if there is in you any deformity or crookedness contrary to God's law, with divine help I will do my best to remove it. For God has put you as stewards over his family to minister to it. Happy indeed will you be if he finds you faithful in your stewardship. You are called shepherds; see that you do not act as hirelings. But be true shepherds, with your crooks always in your hands. Do not go to sleep, but guard on all sides the flock committed to you. For if through your carelessness or negligence a wolf carries away one of your sheep, you will surely lose the reward laid up for you with God. And after you have been bitterly scourged with remorse for your faults-, you will be fiercely overwhelmed in hell, the abode of death. For according to the gospel you are the salt of the earth [Matt. 5:13]. But if you fall short in your duty, how, it may be asked, can it be salted? O how great the need of salting! It is indeed necessary for you to correct with the salt of wisdom this foolish people which is so devoted to the pleasures of this -world, lest the Lord, when He may wish to speak to them, find them putrefied by their sins unsalted and stinking. For if He, shall find worms, that is, sins, In them, because you have been negligent in your duty, He will command them as worthless to be thrown into the abyss of unclean things. And because you cannot restore to Him His great loss, He will surely condemn you and drive you from His loving presence. But the man who applies this salt should be prudent, provident, modest, learned, peaceable, watchful, pious, just, equitable, and pure. For how can the ignorant teach others? How can the licentious make others modest? And how can the impure make others pure? If anyone hates peace, how can he make others peaceable ? Or if anyone has soiled his hands with baseness, how can he cleanse the impurities of another? We read also that if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch [Matt. 15:14]. But first correct yourselves, in order that, free from blame , you may be able to correct those who are subject to you. If you wish to be the friends of God, gladly do the things which you know will please Him. You must especially let all matters that pertain to the church be controlled by the law of the church. And be careful that simony does not take root among you, lest both those who buy and those who sell [church offices] be beaten with the scourges of the Lord through narrow streets and driven into the place of destruction and confusion. Keep the church and the clergy in all its grades entirely free from the secular power.

See that the tithes that belong to God are faithfully paid from all the produce of the land; let them not be sold or withheld. If anyone seizes a bishop let him be treated as an outlaw. If anyone seizes or robs monks, or clergymen, or nuns, or their servants, or pilgrims, or merchants, let him be anathema [that is, cursed]. Let robbers and incendiaries and all their accomplices be expelled from the church and anthematized. If a man who does not give a part of his goods as alms is punished with the damnation of hell, how should he be punished who robs another of his goods? For thus it happened to the rich man in the gospel [Luke 16:19]; he was not punished because he had stolen the goods of another, but because he had not used well the things which were his.

"You have seen for a long time the great disorder in the world caused by these crimes. It is so bad in some of your provinces, I am told, and you are so weak in the administration of justice, that one can hardly go along the road by day or night without being attacked by robbers; and whether at home or abroad one is in danger of being despoiled either by force or fraud. Therefore it is necessary to reenact the truce, as it is commonly called, which was proclaimed a long time ago by our holy fathers. I exhort and demand that you, each, try hard to have the truce kept in your diocese. And if anyone shall be led by his cupidity or arrogance to break this truce, by the authority of God and with the sanction of this council he shall be anathematized."

After these and various other matters had been attended to, all who were present, clergy and people, gave thanks to God and agreed to the pope's proposition. They all faithfully promised to keep the decrees. Then the pope said that in another part of the world Christianity was suffering from a state of affairs that was worse than the one just mentioned. He continued:

"Although, O sons of God, you have promised more firmly than ever to keep the peace among yourselves and to preserve the rights of the church, there remains still an important work for you to do. Freshly quickened by the divine correction, you must apply the strength of your righteousness to another matter which concerns you as well as God. For your brethren who live in the east are in urgent need of your help, and you must hasten to give them the aid which has often been promised them. For, as the most of you have heard, the Turks and Arabs have attacked them and have conquered the territory of Romania [the Greek empire] as far west as the shore of the Mediterranean and the Hellespont, which is called the Arm of St. George. They have occupied more and more of the lands of those Christians, and have overcome them in seven battles. They have killed and captured many, and have destroyed the churches and devastated the empire. If you permit them to continue thus for awhile with impurity, the faithful of God will be much more widely attacked by them. On this account I, or rather the Lord, beseech you as Christ's heralds to publish this everywhere and to persuade all people of whatever rank, foot-soldiers and knights, poor and rich, to carry aid promptly to those Christians and to destroy that vile race from the lands of our friends. I say this to those who are present, it meant also for those who are absent. Moreover, Christ commands it.

"All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins. This I grant them through the power of God with which I am invested. O what a disgrace if such a despised and base race, which worships demons, should conquer a people which has the faith of omnipotent God and is made glorious with the name of Christ! With what reproaches will the Lord overwhelm us if you do not aid those who, with us, profess the Christian religion! Let those who have been accustomed unjustly to wage private warfare against the faithful now go against the infidels and end with victory this war which should have been begun long ago. Let those who for a long time, have been robbers, now become knights. Let those who have been fighting against their brothers and relatives now fight in a proper way against the barbarians. Let those who have been serving as mercenaries for small pay now obtain the eternal reward. Let those who have been wearing themselves out in both body and soul now work for a double honor. Behold! on this side will be the sorrowful and poor, on that, the rich; on this side, the enemies of the Lord, on that, his friends. Let those who go not put off the journey, but rent their lands and collect money for their expenses; and as soon as winter is over and spring comes, let hem eagerly set out on the way with God as their guide."

Source:

Bongars, Gesta Dei per Francos, 1, pp. 382 f., trans in Oliver J. Thatcher, and Edgar Holmes McNeal, eds., A Source Book for Medieval History, (New York: Scribners, 1905), 513-17