During a news conference Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the Office, told journalists 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 noted that the Bible is 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.
The document cites statistics to demonstrate the risks of driving. In the 20th century, about 35 million people lost their lives in road accidents, and 1.5 billion people were injured. In the year 2000 alone traffic deaths reached nearly 1.3 million, and 90 percent of the accidents were due to human error. “That’s a sad reality,” Martino said, “and at the same time a great challenge for society and the Church”.
Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road extols the benefits of driving – family outings, getting the sick to hospital, allowing people to see other cultures… but it laments a host of ills associated with automobiles: drivers use cars to show off; driving “provides an easy opportunity to dominate others” by speeding; drivers kill themselves and others if they do not get their cars regular tune-ups; if they drink, use drugs or fall asleep at the wheel.
No doubt many will think that the Church is overstepping its bounds; that she should concern herself exclusively with the care of souls, with what is happening within the walls of a basilica or in a parish, and that her proper field of activity is the administration of the sacraments or the blessing of homes, instead of busying herself with what is happening on the road. For these people a set of 10 commandments for drivers is a ludicrous intrusion into the secular sphere.
Many other people, however, (and I belong to this party) cannot but applaud the initiative. When faced by the terrible tragedies which daily take place on our roads and highways, it is only common sense to adopt all and every measure at our disposal to avert them, and this sound piece of advice from the Holy See will surely come in handy.
So here are the 10 commandments as listed in the document:
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 to deal with unforeseen events.
4. Be charitable and help your neighbour in need, especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination or an occasion for sin.
6. Charitably convince the young and not-so-young not to drive when they are not in a fit condition.
7. Support the families of accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together so they can experience forgiveness.
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
10. Feel responsible towards others.
When driving, let us all feel this high sense of responsibility towards our neighbours. It is, after all, what we are called to do as Christians.
Updated on October 06 2016