Vatican: 10 Commandments for Drivers

[Doug]

Like the bible, the modern world is full of people on the move, says Vatican Cardinal Renato Martino, explaining a set of "Ten Commandments" for drivers issued by the Holy See office for migrants and itinerant peoples.

The International Herald Tribune reports that the Vatican yesterday issued a set of "Ten Commandments" for drivers, telling motorists to be charitable to others on the highways, to refrain from drinking and driving, and to pray you make it before you even buckle up.

The document also warns that automobiles can be "an occasion of sin"-- particularly when they are used for dangerous passing or for prostitution.

It says driving can bring out "primitive" behavior in motorists, including "impoliteness, rude gestures, cursing, blasphemy, loss of sense of responsibility or deliberate infringement of the highway code."

The document urges motorists to obey traffic regulations, drive with a moral sense, and to pray when behind the wheel.

...The document, "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road," extols the benefits of driving - family outings, getting the sick to the hospital, allowing people to see other cultures.

...And it suggested prayer might come in handy and performing the sign of the cross before starting off and saying the Rosary along the way.

The document is intended for bishops conferences around the world, and as such offered recommendations for their pastoral workers, including setting up chapels along motorways and having "periodic celebration of liturgies at major road hubs, motorway restaurants and lorry parks."

The "Drivers' Ten Commandments," as listed by the document, are:

1. You shall not kill.

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

7. Support the families of accident victims.

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

10. Feel responsible toward others.

Read the rest here.

[Doug]

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[Dardedar]

DAR
You can't just make a hard left and a hard right and consider yourself done with a whole rack of prayers?

After a whole bunch of sinning, it's time to do some hard driving.

D.

[Barbara Fitzpatrick]

I'm all for the Church and anybody else advocating to replace road rage with road courtesy. They are probably aiming at 3rd world countries who are trying to become American in their auto useage (considering that they were put out by the office for migrants and itinenant peoples), but Americans could also stand to follow the "10 commandments" - except maybe #8, that sounds a little "busybody-ish" to me. Forgiveness is not something that can be forced on other people. And driving Hummers is definitely "an expression of power and domination".

[ChristianLoeschel]

Driving Hummers is at best an expression of virile shortcomings.