So this is how you beat a speeding fine...

Holy hoon: flying nun clocked at 180km/hJuly

Italian traffic police got an unholy surprise when they pulled over a driver clocked at 180km/h - it was a 56-year-old nun claiming to be on a mercy dash to the Pope.

The speeding nun, who was accompanied by two fellow Salesian nuns aged 65 and 78, reportedly told police they were rushing to Pope Benedict's side out of concern for his broken wrist.

The Vatican had recently gone went public with news the Pontiff had fallen in the bathroom during his summer holiday.

The nuns' Ford Fiesta was caught travelling at nearly 50 km/h over the speed limit before it was pulled it over on Friday, the Guardian reported.

"The police were shocked to find three nuns of a certain age in the Fiesta," the report quoted the speeding nun as saying.

"But we were afraid of getting there late. I know you shouldn't go so fast, but the news of his Holiness's injury had made us truly anxious."

Despite the urgency of the mission, the police chose not to overlook the traffic infringement, suspending the nun's licence for a month and issuing a $650 fine.

However, she was a "determined sort" who would contest the penalty, her lawyer told the Guardian.

"She is planning to appeal and we think we can invoke the 'state of necessity' in the law that allows speeding," Anna Orecchioni said.

Orecchioni has successfully defended a Muslim imam in Rome after convincing a judge that asthma medicine doubled his blood alcohol reading. Also on her books is a priest who claims communion wine consumed at four consecutive masses pushed him over the legal limit.

After surgery on his damaged wrist, the pope delivered a blessing on Sunday, his right forearm in plaster.

theage.com.au