Prayer of Confession: After each petition, all will respond AMEN!

We confess for the complicity of this nation in the atrocity of the Iraq War. AMEN

We confess for the complicity of our leaders in lying to the American people in order to justify the war. AMEN

We confess that torture is now more widespread in Iraq than before the U.S. invasion. AMEN

We mourn for the Iraqi infants dying of dysentery for lack of clean water and for the infants dying in America for lack of affordable health care. AMEN

We confess for this nation’s sin of invasion that killed thousands and for the sin of occupation that has killed hundreds of thousands. AMEN

We mourn for the nearly 2 million internally displaced Iraqis without homes and the 2 million refugees outside of Iraq without rights. AMEN

We confess that misspent dollars for war have robbed our own children of quality education, robbed our workers of affordable housing, robbed our neighbors of health care and shrouded this nation in shame. AMEN

We mourn for Iraqis without electricity and for Chicagoans without heat; we mourn for Iraqi wounded without adequate doctors and medicine and for Chicago’s sick without Cook County. AMEN

We confess that this nation is addicted to war that is destroying the people of Iraq and is destroying the soul of America. AMEN

We confess to the hypocrisy of senators and legislators who speak out against war but fund its execution. AMEN

ALL: WE CONFESS ALL OF THESE SINS IN THE NAME OF A JUST AND MERCIFUL GOD. MAY THIS LENTEN SEASON BE THE BEGINNING OF A PATH TO TRUE PEACE…