Pope Francis (L) shakes hands with Italian Police chief Franco Gabrielli during a private audience ? with members of Executives and Personnel of the Central Direction for Road and Rail Police ? at Sala Clementina, Vatican, November 20, 2017. Vatican Press Office (Osservatore Romano)/Handout via AFP

 

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis on Monday called on police to show "mercy" during traffic stops while standing firm against those who use the streets as their own Formula 1 race track.

Meeting with representatives of the Italian traffic and railway police, the Argentine-born pontiff spoke of an "increasingly complex and tumultuous" reality on the roads.

"We must take into account the limited sense of responsibility of many drivers, who often do not seem to realise the serious consequences of their distraction, such as their misuse of mobile phones or their non-compliance of safety laws," Francis said.

"This is caused by a haste and a competitiveness that have become a lifestyle, which views other drivers as obstacles or adversaries to be overtaken, transforming the streets into Formula One tracks," he added

However, the pope said police officers should show "mercy" towards the rule-breakers, which he said meant not associating the person with the crime and trying to understand the reasons behind the person's actions.

But showing "mercy is not a sign of weakness", the pontiff said, "nor does it require giving up the use of force".