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

Drive safely and sin no more

Commandments for road from Vatican

By Nicole Winfield
Associated Press

June 20, 2007

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican on Tuesday issued a 10 commandments for
motorists to keep them on the road to salvation, warning drivers against
the sins of road rage, abuse of alcohol or 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
is particularly well-suited to recitation by all in the car, it said,
because its "rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver's
attention."

Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the office, told a news conference that
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 up to 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 is full of people on the move, including Mary and
Joseph, 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, but it laments a host of ills associated with
automobiles, including drivers using their cars to show off and the "easy
opportunity to dominate others" by speeding.

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.

Rev. Keith Pecklers, a Jesuit professor of liturgy at the Pontifical
Gregorian University in Rome, said Martino is responding to an
underreported social concern: an increase in traffic deaths in places like
Italy and Spain because of speeding, as well as an increase in road rage,
aggressive driving and drunken driving in places such as the United
States.

"It may be surprising for people because we're accustomed to the church
speaking out about sexual matters, capital punishment, immigration," he
said. "The point Cardinal Martino is making is that driving is itself a
moral issue. How we drive impacts on the lives of ourselves and others."

But for some, the document was reason to poke fun at the Vatican.

"Overtaking is a sin? Well, then I'm a murderer, I'll turn myself in
immediately," quipped movie director Dino Risi, whose classic film "The
Easy Life" ends with a car crash.

"I think the Vatican has lost its marbles," he added, according to the
ANSA news agency.

There was no indication Pope Benedict XVI had even read the document. It
was signed by Martino and his secretary, as is customary for lower-level
documents from the offices of the Vatican's bureaucracy.

- - -

You shall not kill and 9 other rules

The Vatican's 10 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.

Drive safely and sin no more

Commandments for road from Vatican



By Nicole Winfield
Associated Press

June 20, 2007

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican on Tuesday issued a 10 commandments for
motorists to keep them on the road to salvation, warning drivers against the
sins of road rage, abuse of alcohol or 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 is
particularly well-suited to recitation by all in the car, it said, because
its "rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver's attention."

Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the office, told a news conference that
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 up to 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 is full of people on the move, including Mary and
Joseph, 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, but it laments a host of ills associated with
automobiles, including drivers using their cars to show off and the "easy
opportunity to dominate others" by speeding.

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.

Rev. Keith Pecklers, a Jesuit professor of liturgy at the Pontifical
Gregorian University in Rome, said Martino is responding to an underreported
social concern: an increase in traffic deaths in places like Italy and Spain
because of speeding, as well as an increase in road rage, aggressive driving
and drunken driving in places such as the United States.

"It may be surprising for people because we're accustomed to the church
speaking out about sexual matters, capital punishment, immigration," he
said. "The point Cardinal Martino is making is that driving is itself a
moral issue. How we drive impacts on the lives of ourselves and others."

But for some, the document was reason to poke fun at the Vatican.

"Overtaking is a sin? Well, then I'm a murderer, I'll turn myself in
immediately," quipped movie director Dino Risi, whose classic film "The Easy
Life" ends with a car crash.

"I think the Vatican has lost its marbles," he added, according to the ANSA
news agency.

There was no indication Pope Benedict XVI had even read the document. It was
signed by Martino and his secretary, as is customary for lower-level
documents from the offices of the Vatican's bureaucracy.

- - -

You shall not kill and 9 other rules

The Vatican's 10 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.

Drive safely and sin no more

Commandments for road from Vatican



By Nicole Winfield
Associated Press

June 20, 2007

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican on Tuesday issued a 10 commandments for
motorists to keep them on the road to salvation, warning drivers against the
sins of road rage, abuse of alcohol or 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 is
particularly well-suited to recitation by all in the car, it said, because
its "rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver's attention."

Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the office, told a news conference that
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 up to 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 is full of people on the move, including Mary and
Joseph, 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, but it laments a host of ills associated with
automobiles, including drivers using their cars to show off and the "easy
opportunity to dominate others" by speeding.

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.

Rev. Keith Pecklers, a Jesuit professor of liturgy at the Pontifical
Gregorian University in Rome, said Martino is responding to an underreported
social concern: an increase in traffic deaths in places like Italy and Spain
because of speeding, as well as an increase in road rage, aggressive driving
and drunken driving in places such as the United States.

"It may be surprising for people because we're accustomed to the church
speaking out about sexual matters, capital punishment, immigration," he
said. "The point Cardinal Martino is making is that driving is itself a
moral issue. How we drive impacts on the lives of ourselves and others."

But for some, the document was reason to poke fun at the Vatican.

"Overtaking is a sin? Well, then I'm a murderer, I'll turn myself in
immediately," quipped movie director Dino Risi, whose classic film "The Easy
Life" ends with a car crash.

"I think the Vatican has lost its marbles," he added, according to the ANSA
news agency.

There was no indication Pope Benedict XVI had even read the document. It was
signed by Martino and his secretary, as is customary for lower-level
documents from the offices of the Vatican's bureaucracy.

- - -

You shall not kill and 9 other rules

The Vatican's 10 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.