I should have you over sometime to play Burnout...
Posted on 06/19/2007 6:42:11 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Thou shall not drive under the influence of alcohol. Thou shall respect speed limits. Thou shall not consider a car an object of personal glorification or use it as a place of sin.
The Vatican took a break from strictly theological matters on Tuesday to issue its own rules of the road, a compendium of do's and don'ts on the moral aspects of driving and motoring.
A 36-page document called "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road" contains 10 Commandments covering everything from road rage, respecting pedestrians, keeping a car in good shape and avoiding rude gestures while behind the wheel.
"Cars tend to bring out the 'primitive' side of human beings, thereby producing rather unpleasant results," the document said.
It appealed to what it called the "noble tendencies" of the human spirit, urging responsibility and self-control to prevent the "psychological regression" often associated with driving.
The document's Fifth Commandment reads: "Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin".
Asked at a news conference when a car became an occasion of sin, Cardinal Renato Martino said "when a car is used as a place for sin".
One part of the document, under the section "Vanity and personal glorification", will not go down well with owners of Ferraris in motor-mad Italy.
"Cars particularly lend themselves to being used by their owners to show off, and as a means for outshining other people and arousing a feeling of envy," it said.
It urged readers not to behave in an "unsatisfactory and even barely human manner" when driving and to avoid what it called "unbalanced behavior ... impoliteness, rude gestures, cursing, blasphemy ..."
Praying while driving was encouraged.
Vatican City, the world's smallest sovereign state, doesn't have many of the problems listed in the document.
It has about 1,000 cars, the speed limit is 30 kph and one Vatican official said the last accident inside Vatican City's walls was about 1-1/2 years ago, resulting in minor damage.
By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican on Tuesday issued a set of "Ten Commandments" for drivers, telling motorists not to kill, not to drink and drive, and to help fellow travelers in case of accidents.
An unusual document from the Vatican's office for migrants and itinerant people also warned that cars can be "an occasion of sin" — particularly when they are used for dangerous passing or for prostitution.
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 urged motorists to obey traffic regulations, drive with a moral sense, and to pray when behind the wheel.
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 had become such a big part of contemporary life.
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 — including refugees, prostitutes, truck drivers and the homeless.
"We know that as a consequence of transgressions and negligence, 1.2 million people die each year on the roads," Martino said. "That's a sad reality, and at the same time, a great challenge for society and the church."
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.
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; drivers can kill themselves and others if they don't get their cars regular tuneups, if they drink, use drugs or fall asleep at the wheel.
It also pointed the finger at traffic problems particular to Rome: "Danger also derives from city cars, which are driven by youngsters and adults who do not have (full) driving licenses, and the reckless use of motorbikes and motorcycles."
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.
And it suggested prayer might come in handy — making 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 since its "rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver's attention."
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, truck stops and restaurants.
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.
I lose it really quickly when I get behind the wheel.
Years ago, I was driving a few blocks from where I lived at the time, and a guy ran right through a red light and hit me.
It turned out he was a tourist from Italy.
There was a police officer who saw the whole thing from a nearby convenience store, and he came over to assist.
The Italian guy was fine, until the police came...then he got belligerent, and yelled “for you, the light was red; for me, it was green!”
The police officer had to kind of threaten the guy to get him to calm down. I think it’s just one of those Italian things... :-)
This reminds me of the fact that no area of human action is "morally neutral." This guidance from the Vatican contrasts favorably with the mechanical presentation of drivers ed that I received in government school.
It also reminds me of the homeschooling curriculum that we use (Seton), which is suffused with the faith.
This is very true from my experience. It's highly calming, too. I arrive at work in a much better frame of mind than I did when I listened to the news . . . .
I think I am going to have some SERIOUS issues with paragraphs 42-44:
The obligatory nature of road regulations42. When drivers endanger their own and other people’s lives, and the physical and mental wellbeing of persons, as well as considerable material goods, they are guilty of a serious shortcoming, even when such behaviour does not cause accidents, because, in any case, it entails serious risks. It should also be pointed out that the majority of accidents are precisely caused by such carelessness.
43. The Church’s teaching on these issues is very clear: “The often tragic consequences of infringements of the Highway Code give them an intrinsically obligatory nature that is far more serious than is generally thought. Motorists cannot merely rely on their own vigilance and ability to prevent accidents, but should rather maintain an appropriate margin of safety, if they wish to be free of carelessness and avoid unforeseeable difficulties”[11]. Indeed, “rightly, civil laws regarding human coexistence support the great law of Non occides, thou shalt not kill, which stands out in the timeless Ten Commandments, and is a holy precept of the Lord for everyone”[12].
44. Therefore, “through strict observance of the Highway Code, everyone should be committed to creating a ‘road culture’ based on widespread understanding of everyone’s rights and duties and behaviour consistent with its implications”[13].
[11] Pope Pius XII, Speech to the “Fédération Routière Internationale”: Speeches and Radio Messages of Pope Pius XII, vol. 17 (1955) p. 275 and Belgian Bishops, pastoral Letter, Morale de la circulation routière, Malines, 15 January 1966 : Pastoralia, no. 8, 21 February 1966, sheet 1, back page, col. II.
[12] Pope John XXIII, The respect of life as the foundation of effective road discipline: Speeches, Messages and Talks of Pope John XXIII, vol. III (1961) p. 383.
[13] Pope John Paul II, A road culture. Against the too many accidents: Teachings of Pope John Paul II, vol. X, 3 (1987) p. 22.
Dorry for duplicationg your posted link; see what happens when I go to make a cup of coffee in the middle of posting :-)
I should have you over sometime to play Burnout...
Saying the Rosary when driving is a wonderful thing. My temper has all but disappeared. Of course, once in awhile I get upset. It’s mortifying to hear what comes out of my mouth while I hold the crucifix in one hand...
What, exactly? Looks OK to me.
Works for me too. It's a good time for saying the Rosary. I like Rosary rings, myself.
Well, I'm interpreting "highway code" as "traffic laws."
Look (he says in a condescending manner)...
I live in the DC area. Anybody who actually pays attention to traffic laws vice the law of the jungle is going to be road kill...
;)
Oh, and let me add, in 8 years of living here I haven’t had an accident (yet) (raps knuckles on top of head).
I learned to drive in DC by driving in Istanbul Turkey and Naples Italy (accident free both places, to boot!)....
I hear your pain.
But it is possible to poke along in the right lane. And this is from a guy who drove across a lot of college campi, with people fleeing in various directions, back in the day.
So is flipping the bird totally out of the question now?
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