IRAQ - 4 years of WAR - "This war is ... an offense against God."

This past Saturday thousands of Christians prayed for peace at an anti-war service Friday night at the Washington National Cathedral, kicking off a weekend of protests around the country to mark the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq. "This war, from a Christian point of view, is morally wrong - and was from the beginning," the Rev. Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners/Call to Renewal, said. "This war is ... an offense against God."
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For Catholics - we remember our Holy Father - Pope John Paul II - who in Janary 2003 condemmed the coming war in Iraq.

Pope John Paul II in January of 2003 expressed renewed opposition to the possibility of war in Iraq, saying the use of military force had to be the "very last option".

In a New Year address to Vatican diplomats, the Pope said war was "always a defeat for humanity", and called instead for more diplomacy and dialogue.

"War is never just another means that one can choose to employ for settling differences between nations," he said.

The Vatican clearly did not consider that America's planned offensive to topple Saddam Hussein meets the conditions of a "just war" laid down by the Roman Catholic Church.

"War cannot be decided upon, even when it is a matter of ensuring the common good, except as the very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions," Pope John Paul said.

He spoke of the Iraqis as a people already sorely tried by 12 years of international embargoes - and he described Iraq as the land of the prophets, because it is believed to be the birthplace of the biblical prophet Abraham.

Those behind a war in Iraq would have to consider "the consequences for the civilian population both during and after the military operations," he said.

The Church teaches that for a war to be "just", the use of military force should meet rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy.

It also says that all other means must first be exhausted, and that the type of force used must be proportionate to the wrong it tries to rectify.

"Everything can change. It depends on each of us. Everyone can develop within himself his potential for faith, for honesty, for respect of others and for commitment to the service of others," he said.