WASHINGTON – Since 1988, a small group of Catholic pacifists have stood outside the Pentagon metro exit every Monday morning to protest war in its broadest terms. The demonstrators show up at about 6 a.m. and quietly press their case to convert the American military headquarters into a hospital, or, as one of the protesters, Art Laffin, suggested yesterday, a “center for nonviolent conflict resolution.”

Mr. Laffin, a tall sturdy man with brown shaggy hair, explained yesterday that the point of the protests was that, “God commands us not to kill.” He held a sign stating that the occupation of Iraq was not only a violation of international law but also a sin.

Compared with a higher-profile antiwar groups, these followers of Dorothy Day – the 20th-century activist and founder of the Catholic Worker Movement – are downright old school.

“We follow the teachings of Jesus,” Mr. Laffin said. “We make the appeal of Jesus to the Pentagon, which is the center of war-making in our country.”

Nonetheless, the contempt for American power often present at larger demonstrations – with their drum circles, giant puppets, and gas mask-clad anarchists – was clearly on display.

Steven Kelly held a sign that implored soldiers to “refuse orders to kill.” When asked what motivated him to stand in front of the Pentagon so early in the morning, he said he was trying to stop the American-led genocide and the United Nations sanctions against Iraq. When informed by this reporter that after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the sanctions were lifted, he changed the topic.

“Look at what happened in Iran. The Iranian people rose up against the Savak, which America supported, because Savak was a terrorist organization. The Pentagon is one of the biggest sponsors of terrorism in the world,” Mr. Kelly said. When asked if he was aware of the terrorist activities of the current Iranian regime, Mr. Kelly said, “I don’t have enough information to make that judgment.”

What made this Monday different than the others for the Catholic Worker Movement in the last 17 years is that 10 yards down from their anti-war vigil, a group calling themselves the Protest Warriors showed up for what was dubbed “Operation Pentagon Patriots.”

The Protest Warriors are a group of citizens who in the last year have taken to infiltrating protests and taking video of the organizers of anti-war demonstrations with an eye to making them look foolish. They carry signs mocking the earnest opponents of empire with slogans like “Stop Wealth Creation.”

The warriors circulated an e-mail over the weekend informing their Washington, D.C., chapter that they were to meet at the Pentagon metro stop for a counter-protest. “When we get word that morale is starting to slip, we try to mobilize to remind the troops that there are people who support them,” said one of the warriors, Christine Chase.

The operation was in response to news that the Pentagon protesters were becoming rowdy.

Last week a Web site also known as captainsquartersblog reported that some of the protesters in front of the Pentagon had tried to block the entrance to the building.

A Pentagon spokesman yesterday said no one had been arrested, though a security officer confirmed that one protester last month did try to enter the building without an authorized permit.

One might think the volatile combination of left and right outside the Pentagon would be a recipe for conflict. After all, when the Protest Warriors have infiltrated marches in the past, the marchers have ripped up their signs and shouted them down, according to video from the Web site.

Not yesterday, though.

If only the Protest Warriors had known about the Catholic Worker vigil on December 29, 2003. On that day, Scott Langley and Sheila Stumph poured a container of their own blood on the doors of the Pentagon, earning them 10 days in jail and a fine of $1,140. This fact is easily checked out at www.haleyhouse.org, which features the “reflections” of Mr. Langley and Ms. Stumph and describes the “action” in great detail.

Yesterday, the protesters’ most disruptive activity was when they huddled and prayed, barely even blocking the path of the bureaucrats and soldiers who walked by.

In fact, the only brush with the law came when this reporter tried to capture the gaggle of praying protesters on his camera phone. Before the photo could be taken, a Pentagon security officer began asking questions. “Do you have a permit to be here?” he asked. “Do you realize you can’t take unauthorized photographs here on the reservation? Let’s see some ID.”

Soon enough, Mr. Laffer and his protesters began to leave, but not without a parting question: “Do you want us to stay here and support you?” one of the women asked.