On June 19, 2007, the Vatican, under the direction of Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Renato Martino, issued a 36-page document entitled Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road,[1] created by the curial Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant People,[2] under the leadership of Renato Raffaele Cardinal Martino, and intended for bishop conferences around the world.
The document derived some of its material from the Old Testament, the New Testament, the American Automobile Association,[5] and statements by Popes Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II.
[6] On its issue this document received a lot of media attention due to its listing of Ten Commandments for Drivers.
[7] The Guidelines make note of both the benefits of the use of automobiles as well as its dangerous and negative consequences.
[4] The Guidelines state that driving can bring out primitive behavior in drivers, which leads to road rage, rude gestures, speeding, drinking behind the wheel, cursing, blasphemy, impoliteness, and intentional violation of the highway code.