Suddenly war becomes a reality. After months of negotiations with the UN Security Council, America and its allies believe that they have exhausted all possible avenues for achieving a peaceful resolution to the crisis with Iraq. Countless prayers have been said worldwide, churches have remained open, and people of faith and goodwill have united in an attempt to avert war. But now that war has become a reality.

Many will feel deep concern for innocent civilians, isolation as a result of their faith, anxiety for the numerous young soldiers engaged in combat and overwhelming uncertainty as to what the repercussions are likely to be. The world is holding its breath, and the call for unity and prayer has never been more central in our struggle for peace.

The Rt Revd John Chane, Bishop of Washington, has said that he will minister to the men and women of the armed forces who are engaged in this conflict by calling on congregations to pray for them on a daily basis. He added that prayer and supportive pastoral care for their families left behind must be high on the agenda.

"I will call for all congregations in the diocese to keep their church doors open, 24 hours a day, as places of sanctuary and prayer," he said. "I will ask our clergy to be available for pastoral counselling and guidance during these challenging times and to remind them that we must always pray for our own, as well as those whom we might engage in combat.

"We are not at swords points with the Iraqi people and we need to be constantly reminded of that truth. I will continue to work ecumenically and at the inter-faith level with my colleagues, locally and nationally, to continue to be a religious presence and witness to the current Administration, reminding them that we have opposed this war and that it must...be concluded immediately."

Christian leaders in Yorkshire, UK, have united to issue the following statement:

"We greet the news that the government has committed our troops to war with Iraq with a profound sense of sadness. We have questioned whether this momentous course of action, without UN sanction, can achieve lasting peace and justice in the region. But now our prayers must be that this war will be over swiftly, with the minimum loss of life and that a lasting settlement can be rapidly achieved in the region.

"Many families from our own area have family members engaged in the conflict and we pray for their well-being and safety. We also urge Christians to pray for the safety of the innocent citizens of Iraq who will be caught up in the conflict. We are deeply concerned about the effect of the conflict on community relations here. We pray that dialogue and growing understanding between people of all faiths can be strengthened as together we work for peace."

The Anglican Archbishop of Ireland, Robin Eames, has said that war is the ultimate failure. "War happens when dialogue, talks and human dealing fails," he said. "It marks the failure of humanity to succeed in reaching agreement by other means. History has taught us that lesson in Ireland. War and violence are a judgement of failure in human relations. At this time we pray that Ireland has learnt that lesson. But on the world scale we may well wonder if the might of arms is once more being used because humanity has yet to learn that the power of reasonable dealing with each other is mightier than the sword.

"In our prayers we remember the leaders of the nations who are making grave decisions which will affect the lives of millions: we remember all those from this Province and nation who are serving in the Gulf: and we pray for those who will carry the ultimate burden of suffering - the innocent men, women and children who are the real 'poor of this world'.

"Even at this hour we pray that the message of peace with justice may prevail on this earth."

The East Cape Provincial Council of Churches in the North Eastern Region of South Africa has expressed their great concern regarding the determination of President George Bush to go to war against Iraq. In a resolution passed on 11 March they stated "George Bush and Tony Blair have not revealed to the world why this war is necessary. Certainly Saddam Hussein is a nasty piece of work, but the world has lived with him for 25 years. Why now the sudden need to attack? There are many nations that have weapons of mass destruction.

"We believe the United States should spend money on overcoming the social and environmental injustices of the world, instead of armaments."

The Vatican warned Mr Bush and his allies that they would not be acting with the Pope's blessing. The Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said, "Those who decide that all peaceful means that international law makes available are exhausted assume a grave responsibility before God, their conscience and history."

The concept of a 'just war' has sometimes been referred to as a viable possibility for justifying force. The bishops of the Church in Wales have announced that the case for war remains far from convincing and said, "In Christian terms, the moral case for a just war are very strict indeed."

They identified the principles of a just war as being:

• There must be a just cause
• The use of force is the only way left of effecting change
• There must be a properly constituted authority to pursue the war
• There must be a clear and achievable goal
• The amount of force used must be no more than is strictly necessary
• Reconciliation and the establishing of a just peace must be the ultimate end of the conflict and not conquest and subjugation

Following a BBC debate on just war the Rt Revd David Beetge, Anglican bishop of the Highveld diocese in Africa, said in a statement, "A recent interview suggested that the present military build-up is the largest in the history of mankind and a report has suggested that up to 500,000 civilians could be killed in the conflict.

"The just war theory has, as one of its conditions, the concept of proportionality. This concept emphasises the need for any conflict to be waged between soldier and soldier and not against civilians, cities or regions. Furthermore, the acknowledgement that the military build-up is the largest in history is another breach of this condition of proportionality."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, has said that "war with Iraq is unacceptable and will spark a humanitarian catastrophe both there and in the rest of the region."

In a statement from the Most Revd Frank T Griswold, presiding bishop of ECUSA, he said, "Joined by leaders and members of other faith communities, I have supported the alternatives to war that would both address the legitimate concerns of our nation and recognise that war at this point is not the solution....I do not believe it is an exaggeration to say that decisions made now will affect out global future for good or ill."