Skip to main content

Drivers' Ten Commandments

Yesterday the Vatican published a Document of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People: "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road".

It's a lengthy document - as Vatican documents tend to be - but wisely they came up with the Drivers' Ten Commandments for those who aren't regular readers of the Vatican website. Here they 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 neighbour 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.

Not many Catholics in Albania of course, but here might be an occasion for a display of Albania's famed religious tolerance.

I don't imagine the leaders of Albania's religious communities are avid readers of this blog, but wouldn't it be good if the four of them got together and publicly endorsed these ten commandments and commended them to Albanian motorists?

Even if only 3 out of 10 stuck it would make a huge difference - I'd like 5, 9 and 10 please.

Labels:

Comments

ITS said…
Did the Vatican issue any statements about handing over to the justice system the pedophiles they are harboring amongst them.

Wake me up when they do...
2:39 pm
ak said…
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

I agree on the part regarding Albanians, but coming from the Pope, who only drives expensive/powerful-engined Mercedes-Benzes, this sounds a bit odd.
2:57 pm
olli said…
I'm surprised the current pope doesn't change them all for BMW's since he come from Bavaria.
3:40 pm
Anonymous said…
even if all religious leaders adopted this and told it to people no one would listen. Albos have never listened to their religious leaders in the past...why should they start now. If they did, than the coutnry would have people with a lot of marals and good vitrues. AS it stands, the country is fuil of immoral and corrupt individuals who take advantage of teh weak state of albania's instituations. Theoretically most religions (especially the ones in albania) say good things...thou shall not kill, steal etc...

If everyone was to follow that example then our problems would be over pretty quickly. However, religion is only seen from a distance.
7:03 pm
seanachie said…
In the last edition of the Catholic Catechism (published around 1993 or 94) speeding was made a sin for the first time, so I suppose this was coming.
8:31 pm
Anonymous said…
I was cracking up reading the "Christ is the Way, He is the Road" part of the document. Tongue in cheek? I don't know.

"Those who know Jesus Christ are careful on the roads", which reminds me .... I was driving the other day and saw this bumper sticker: "Honk if you love Jesus". I did. The driver gave me the finger.
2:17 am
seanachie said…
Though the current Pope drove a more modest VW Golf. Someone unwittingly bought it secondhand, checked the name on the log book and made a tidy sum selling it on on eBay.
9:43 am
Anonymous said…
Actually, about 20% of Albanians are Catholic or come from Catholic backgrounds. However, regardless of religion, none of them drive worth a shit. I just got back from Durres where I witnessed a brand new Mercedes driver experience a moment of indecision....hmmm.... should I go to the port or the beach.... can't quite decide .... I'll split the difference and smash headlong into the concrete divider between the two lanes. I've lived all over the world and never seen a more dangerous mix of inexperience, machismo, and lack of regard for consequences.

I love this place!!
11:36 pm
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dy Rame Per Tirane

I was watching Top Channel last night, first the news, then Fiks Fare. According to them Tirana's citizens now have a choice not only between Rama and Olldashi, but also between Rama and Rama. A minor right-wing faction, Parti 'Balli Kombetar' , submitted papers to the election authorities registering their candidate, Akile Rama. The people on Fiks Fare got hold of the papers and sent a reporter and camera team to the address listed for Mr A Rama. After much ringing of the bell the gate was reluctantly opened by a middle-aged woman who refused to speak to the reporter and tried to close the gate on her. Back in the studio Saimiri and Doctori - the two presenters of Fiks Fare - revealed that Mr Akile Rama was 73 years old, in hospital, and did not know he was now a candidate for mayor. They also compared two documents - the papers submitted on his behalf, and a genuine document he had signed. The signatures were not even remotely similar. There was an interview with the lea
4 comments
Read more

Albania and the Perils of the 21st Century

Another article on religion in Albania appeared yesterday. Patrick Poole, writing in the American Thinker , argues that Saudi funding for the construction of mosques and the training of imams is a threat to Albania, since these mosques and imams reflect the fundamentalist interpretation of Islam dominant in Saudi Arabia.
34 comments
Read more

DIY Traffic Calming

We had yet another accident on our wide straight road in bright daylight a couple of days ago. I heard the crunch but I'm not sure how they managed a head on collision in these circumstances. Obviously someone in the neighbourhood has had enough and has put in place a creative traffic calming system. It consists of two thick lengths of rope spread across the road. Surprisingly, traffic approaching these almost always slow to a crawl while crossing them. I'm not sure who is responsible for this very welcome development but there is a newly opened cafe at the bottom of the street with open air seating beside the road. I suspect they are responsible since having cars tearing past at high speed is not only unpleasant for their customers but also dangerous. It's too much to hope that the the responsible authorities will get the message and construct some speed bumps. Perhaps we need to find a lot more rope.
8 comments
Read more