A sign outside West Dundee's St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church reads "Pray for Peace," but for local Catholics and clergy, those prayers are increasingly complex.
On Wednesday, their country's leaders entered into a war that their religious leaders repeatedly condemn.
"I don't know how to react," said Bob Gaudio, an Arlington Heights resident and parishioner at St. Edna Catholic Church. "I am Catholic, and I like the Pope. If in fact all the things Bush said are true, Saddam needs to be out of there."
"I'm not sure how I would go about it - a regime change."
American Catholics are experiencing the biggest tension between faith and citizenship since Vietnam, said the Rev. Becket Franks, director of campus ministry at Lisle's Benet Academy.
The Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops each have issued statements denouncing a United States-led, pre-emptive strike against Iraq, saying it did not meet the test of "proportionality" required under Catholic "just war" theory. However, U.S. government leaders still proceeded with their plans to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
"The biggest issue is if the evil done during the war is balanced with the evil that will end after the war," Franks said. "Is getting rid of the evil that is Saddam Hussein balanced against the evil of the poverty situation there?"
Catholic leadership says that balance is not there, Franks said, adding that "all the suffering of the people of Iraq will be intensified after this."
But that does not mitigate the anxiety and concern many sitting in pews or preaching from altars on Sunday felt for Americans fighting in the Middle East. Franks, who said he was disgusted and "really angry" about the war, is also concerned about Benet alumni stationed in the Middle East.
"It's a felt tension," said the Rev. Marc Reszel, pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in Buffalo Grove. "We're aware of this and I will very much address this (each) Sunday. We've got parishioners in the reserves and others with family in active duty."
Reszel said he was choosing prayers for that ask for soldiers to come home safely and quickly as well as for justice and peace. On Friday, during a regional meeting of priests, clergy members still were actively discussing how best to address the issue.
"There is massive opposition from me. This is massive consternation for me," Franks said. "A lot of us are caught."