Vatican City – The Vatican on Tuesday issued a “Ten Commandments” for motorists to keep them on the road to salvation, warning drivers against the sins of road rage, abuse of alcohol and even simple rudeness.
The unusual document from the Vatican’s office for migrants and itinerant people also warned that automobiles can be “an occasion of sin” – particularly when used to make a dangerous passing maneuver or when used by prostitutes and their clients.
And it suggested prayer might come in handy – performing the sign of the cross before starting off and saying the rosary along the way. The rosary was particularly well-suited to recitation by all in the car, it said, since its “rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver’s attention.”
Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the office, told a news conference the Vatican felt it necessary to address the pastoral needs of motorists because driving has become such a big part of contemporary life.
He cited World Health Organization statistics that said an estimated 1.2 million people are killed in road crashes each year and as many as 50 million are injured.
“That’s a sad reality, and at the same time, a great challenge for society and the church,” he said.
He noted that the Bible was full of people on the move, including Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus – and that his office is tasked with dealing with all “itinerant” people on the roads – from refugees to prostitutes, truck drivers and the homeless.
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 get to work and seeing other cultures. But it laments a host of ills associated with automobiles: Drivers use their cars to show off; driving “provides an easy opportunity to dominate others” by speeding; and drivers can kill themselves and others if they drink, use drugs or fall asleep at the wheel.
It warned about the effects of road rage, saying 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.”
It called for drivers to obey speed limits and to exercise a host of Christian virtues: charity to fellow drivers, prudence on the roads, hope of arriving safely and justice in the event of crashes.
Martino’s initiative was sure to make headlines in Italy, where car culture is deeply entrenched – this is the home of Ferrari and Fiat – and where weekend highway deaths make the evening news on a regular basis.
“It might be a little flippant but it’s not sacrilegious,” said the Rev. Thomas Williams, a Rome- based theologian.
There was no indication Pope Benedict XVI had approved of, or even read, the document. It was signed by Martino and his secretary – as is customary for lower-level documents that are routinely put out by offices of the Vatican’s vast bureaucracy.
Martino hasn’t shied away from controversial topics.
Just last week he said Roman Catholics should stop donating money to Amnesty International because it had adopted a new policy calling for women to have access to abortion services in some circumstances.
Ten Commandments for drivers
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.
