Speaking on a day the United Nations has designated World Refugee Day, Pope Benedict said June 20 that accepting refugees was a “dutiful gesture of human solidarity,” according to a report from the Associated Press.

Addressing the 7,000 pilgrims and tourists gathered in Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father said taking in refugees was for Christians “a concrete way to show evangelical love.”

He said, “From the heart I hope that these — our brothers and sisters so tried by suffering — are guaranteed asylum and the recognition of their rights, and I invite those leaders of nations to offer protection to those who are in such delicate situations of need.”

‘10 Commandments’ for Motorists

The Vatican issued a 36-page compendium of dos and don’ts on the moral aspects of driving June 19, Reuters reported.

“Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road” contains 10 “commandments,” covering everything from road rage, respecting pedestrians, and keeping a car in good shape to 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. Praying while driving was encouraged.

The Vatican’s Department of Migrant Issues urged nations to pass laws to curb the scourge of human trafficking to protect women from violence, as well as punish clients, reported Reuters.

“An effective measure towards cultural change with respect to prostitution could derive from associating criminal law with social condemnation,” said Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, secretary of Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples. “We think that there should be not only protection of women but also a punishment for the clients.”

He said the Vatican would push for legislation along the Swedish model, which penalizes customers with jail sentences and fines based on their salaries.