Lost in Translation? Pope Ponders an Update to Lord’s Prayer
What induces into temptation is Satan.”
In essence, the pope said, the prayer, from the Book of Matthew, is asking God, “When Satan leads us into temptation, You please, give me a hand.”
French Catholics adopted such a linguistic change this week, and the pope suggested that Italian Catholics might want to follow suit.
Francis’ idea on changing the Lord’s Prayer could unsettle some Catholics, who
learn from childhood to recite the prayer, also called the “Our Father.”
Philip F. Lawler, editor of Catholic World News, a conservative website, said
that while the pope’s critique about the translation of the line “isn’t unreasonable,” if Francis actually intends to change the prayer, “it’s very upsetting” because it is so deeply ingrained for Catholics.
On Sunday, French churches began using a version of the Lord’s Prayer in which the line “Ne nous soumets pas à la tentation” (roughly,
“do not expose us to temptation”) was replaced with “Ne nous laisse pas entrer en tentation” (“do not let us give in to temptation”).
In a new television interview, Pope Francis said the common rendering of one line in the prayer
— “lead us not into temptation” — was “not a good translation” from ancient texts.