Driving advice from the Vatican
Posted on June 19th, 2007 – 11:53 AMBy Roadguy
This blog isn’t above pontificating, but rarely do we get the chance to talk about the actual pontiff. So if you haven’t already, check out this story about an unusual Vatican document on driver behavior (including ten more commandments), then share your own edicts below.
11 Responses to "Driving advice from the Vatican"
I read this list with my tongue in my cheek. Driving advice from the Vatican is like asking the DOT for spiritual guidance. I know Roadguy calls the MN/DOT building the ‘Transportation Temple’ but I think we should keep Church and Road separate. In all seriousness, the two don’t mix. I wonder how many people who are Jewish, agnostic, atheist, etc. will never bother looking at this, knowing the pope issued it?
Besides, it doesn’t seem anyone is looking to the pope as a moral compass for birth control, abortion, etc. If people are not listening on those subjects, what do they expect here?
I wonder, with the sex abuse scandal still ongoing, why the pope hasn’t asked his bishops to “protect the more vulnerable party” and “feel responsible toward others”? Are only people driving cars on the road supposed to observe these commandments?
I don’t mean to be snappish, but the Catholic Church chokes on its hypocrisy. They need to figure out their priorities.
For the record, I’m a Lutheran.
I hear ya, Diz, but I look at this latest Papal directive as simply a set of very basic laws of civility–treat everyone as you would want to be. You can take the religion away from it, and the document still makes perfect sense–to anyone–of any religion–or no religion–or even people who don’t like religion at all.
This set of commandments could have come from anywhere: church, synagogue, mosque, the DOT…
The commandments themselves are pretty generic - basically they all said “be safe and be nice”.
The rest of the article, on the other hand, was pretty thick with catholic doctrine… Pray while driving, etc.
My initial thought was “doesn’t the catholic church have something better to do? Aren’t there more important causes out there for them to be stressing about?” I just felt is was kind of odd for them to put this out.
You know, now that I’m reading this article more closely, I find it more offensive than suggestive.
Take this quote: “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.”
Now I understand, by definition, a truck driver is itinerant because they do travel from place to place on business. But mentioning that honest profession along with prostitutes, refugeees, and the homeless? Come on!
What about traveling salesman? Even the President is itinerant! If it’s not a baby, a truck probably delivered it. Don’t associate an honest living with that of begging or selling ones body.
I bet Dale the Truck Driver would have something to say about this…you reading this blog today, Dale?
The praying while driving thing really got me. I mean, some days I think praying may be the only way I’ll get home sans collision on 494. But what I really need is a committed Catholic praying while they’re also on their cell phone & eating breakfast, because the Vatican said so. Thanks, Pope, for adding another task to the list!
Oh, I don’t think I’ll get too worked up about it. I’m not Catholic, but as far as how to treat each other, most religions teach the same stuff. They’re really not trying to offend anyone.
If a few wise old dudes in robes wanna tell everyone to be nice on the streets, it’s hard to object to that.
Those commandments were very generic… they just took the original ones and added the word ‘vehicle’ and ‘accident’ to them… 
Considering that most people just ignore the things their own churches teach about … well … almost anything (if their churches teach anything at all) I find it amusing that people who aren’t even Catholic don’t just ignore these sorts of things.
While it is true that it was reported in the Strib, I’ve never figured out how Catholic teachings are really the only ones that are newsworthy (ok, I’ll admit that I don’t pay attention if or when the other ones make it in there … but that’s what I mean by ignoring them, I don’t critique others beliefs when they’re reported as news because I don’t pay attention because they just don’t pertain to me and I also don’t know if they’re reported as often or not).
That being said, I think this is a very pertinent and worthwhile reminder to Catholics (and it’s probably applicable to others as well) about the dangers of sin and the near occasion of sin while driving. I think people can get really ingrained in actions that the Catholic Church would consider sinful just by driving, and rationalize them by saying that’s just how they drive. This is a really good reminder to folks that if you’re a religious person and want to be a faithful Catholic that even driving is something that should be taken into consideration for sanctification. It’s an area of our lives that can make us people we’re not, or people we don’t want to be and should be prayed about. And I’ve found that praying while driving is a really good use of my time to ensure that I get my daily prayer time in and it’s also very relaxing and helps me to focus on the road instead of the distractions. When I pray I shut off my cell phone and radio and put down anything I might otherwise be distracted by.
If it’s not something you believe in and you know that from the start, why even read the article? And if you do feel the need to read the article, why be so critical about something that really is so important to other people? Why not just take the things you find valuable and incorporate them into your beliefs, and just leave the rest?
I think it is very telling that the pope, who does not drive, realizes that people are literally killing one another using cars as their weapon. I think he may have felt that this is his duty to remind people that they need to watch their behaviors while behind the wheel.
If it’s not something you believe in and you know that from the start, why even read the article?
Catholicism is not my doctrine, and I consider myself non-Christian. Yet I read the article and was intrigued by it. Just because it came from a religion I don’t adhere to or believe in myself doesn’t mean all possible merits of the article are moot to me. Ever hear of educating yourself on an opposing position as it may strengthen your own? Or possibly shed new perspective on all sides?
Personally, I’ve got no issue with the Catholic church inserting itself into the day-to-day of its people in this fashion. They may have “more important things to do” in the eyes of their followers, but what’s more important than considering the safety and well-being of its disciples?
The pope… naw, make that the whole catlick church- is obsolete and their failure to come out of the Middle Ages and join the rest of the real world is the reason why.
