Why Pope Francis wants the Lord's Prayer changed

david nganga

December 9, 2017 10:58 AM

The Pope is seeking a change in the English wording of the best-known prayer in Christianity

Pope Francis has called for a change in the English wording of the Lords Prayer arguing that it implies God “induces temptation”.

The current wording that says "lead us not into temptation" is not a good translation because God does not lead humans to sin, he says.

While speaking to an Italian Catholic TV channel, the Pope opined that the prayer should be altered to better reflect that it was not God who led humans to sin.

“It is not a good translation because it speaks of a God who induces temptation," he told TV2000.

“A father doesn’t do that, a father helps you to get up immediately. It’s Satan who leads us into temptation, that’s his department.”

His suggestion is to use "do not let us fall into temptation" instead.

The pontiff said France's Roman Catholic Church was now using the new wording "do not let us fall into temptation" as an alternative, and something similar should be used worldwide.

Austen Ivereigh, the pope’s biographer, echoed his sentiments but pointed out that certain factors would have to be considered with regards to the translation.

“It is not God who tempts us into sin but the enemy of human nature. But tradition and familiarity are also important factors in weighing up any decision to modify a translation.”

The Lord's Prayer is the best-known prayer in Christianity.

It is a translation from the Latin Vulgate, a 4th-Century Latin translation of the Bible, which itself was translated from ancient Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic.

david nganga