Both the U.S. government and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops agree that Saddam Hussein is a threat to peace in the Middle East.

However, those two organizations disagree sharply about the use of pre-emptive military force to solve problems in Iraq and the surrounding region.

The Catholic Messenger spoke with numerous people about the war in Iraq during the past week, and found Catholics on both sides of the issue around the Diocese of Davenport.

“Now that we’re committed to disarm this guy (Hussein), I think it should be done,” said Deacon Richard Rasmussen of Bettendorf, a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force who served in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.

“I fully stand behind the president of the United States, and our troops,” Rasmussen added. “They’re the ones shedding their blood over there for us.”

Less than 24 hours before military action began in Iraq, the Just War Theory and the Church’s position on the United States-led war in Iraq were addressed during the Diocese of Davenport’s March 18 presentation over the Iowa Communications Network.

As Dan Ebener, social action director for the diocese, noted at the ICN meeting, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops disagrees with the Bush administration’s course of action.

“The U.S. bishops question the moral legitimacy of any pre-emptive, unilateral use of military force to overthrow the government of Iraq,” Ebener said.

“In their statement, they state that permitting pre-emptive or preventative uses of military force to overthrow threatening or hostile regimes would create deeply troubling moral and legal precedents,” he added.

Les Schaefer, a Davenport resident and member of the Loras Assembly No. 260, fourth degree Knights of Columbus, said the question of a pre-emptive strike does raise moral issues.

But Schaefer noted that the United States followed the Just War Theory as it tried to stay out of World War II, even though Hitler and the Japanese military were invading neighboring nations.

“Then the actions of Dec. 7, 1941, happened, and there were no more questions about a just war. We had been attacked,” said Schaefer, an U.S. Air Force veteran who served in the southwest Pacific during World War II.

“There’s a lot of mixed feelings (about the Iraq situation)…there are no winners in war,” he added. “However, the administration believes that this is the only course of action, so we should get behind the men in the service. If you’re a veteran, you always support the troops who are involved.

Fellow World War II veteran Edward Gray of Davenport, who served in the Pacific with the U.S. Army, also agreed that removing Hussein from power and destroying his arsenal is what America needs to do.

“(The U.S. Bishops) have never been over there and fought – if they had ever been in the military and fought for our country, they’d think differently,” Gray said.

During his March 18 presentation, Ebener and others among the 50 people gathered at six ICN sites argued that Catholics can support their nation’s troops while questioning the decision making of Bush and other leaders.

“We don’t want to repeat the mistakes we made during the Vietnam war. We need to support and pray for our troops as they are put in danger,” Ebener said.

Peace advocates, Ebener said, should direct their criticism toward the Bush administration, which Ebener believes is underestimating the war’s devastating impact on Iraqi civilians.

“I agree with you that one of the errors (made by anti-war protesters) in the Vietnam era was turning on our soldiers,” replied the Rev. Ron Quay, executive director of Churches United of the Quad-City Area.

But Rev. Quay wondered whether protests against the war would damage the morale of U.S. soldiers.

“When you’re facing the dangers of combat, the thing that keeps you going is a belief that what you’re doing is the right thing,” he added. “(By protesting), we are telling our soldiers that what they’re risking their lives for is not a just cause.”

Father Phil Cardenzana, participating in the ICN discussion from Colfax, asked Ebener how long the Unites States and the world should let Hussein terrorize his own people and threaten other nations with chemical and biological weapons.

“Haven’t we tried diplomacy for the past 12 years?” asked Fr. Cardenzana, pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Colfax.

Ebener replied that in his opinion, American leaders have not tried true diplomacy since the 1991 Gulf War ended.

“Economic sanctions are not a nonviolent solution – all they’ve done is disempowered the people of Iraq,” Ebener said. “We’ve spent $95 million preparing for this war. Could you imagine if we’d spent $95 million on peace in the region?”

Many Catholics have participated in peace rallies and prayer services across the diocese during the past few months, and these activities continued after military conflict began in Iraq.

About 50 students, faculty and members of the Quad-City community gathered at St. Ambrose University in Davenport for a March 20 peace rally.

Krista Thanos, a sophomore from Chicago, said she was disappointed that the United States went to war Wednesday night. “I thought they would put it off a little longer. Unfortunately not,” she said.

In February and March, Catholic parishes in Keokuk, Iowa City and Washington hosted ecumenical prayer services as hundreds of people gathered to pray for a peaceful solution to the Middle East crisis.

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