ROME (CNS) — The Italian bishops have after a special study, ruled that the world-famous line “lead us not unto temptation” will change to “do not let us enter into temptation,” but there is no indication that other faith groups will also approve the alteration.
A German bishops’ conference ruled to stick with the traditional wording, Catholic News Service (CNS) which reports from the Vatican said on Friday.
The line in the prayer, the German bishops’ conference announced Jan. 25, is not about persuading God to not tempt the faithful, but rather it is a recognition of one’s own weakness and one’s trust in God’s guidance — that he does not lead people to make the wrong choice.
The bishops’ committee said that after in-depth study, it would keep the line, “And lead us not into temptation,” unchanged, particularly to use the same wording as most Catholics and most other Christian denominations.
But, it added, it would like to see more done in offering the faithful a clear and fuller explanation and discussion of the prayer’s meaning.
UG Christian News has learnt that the move by Italian bishops come after the French bishops decided that beginning early December last year, the wording in french would change, to imply that it is through human fault that people are led to sin, rather than by God.
CNS says French-speaking Catholics in Benin and Belgium began using the new translation at Pentecost last June. The common Spanish translation already is “no nos dejes caer en la tentacion” or “do not let us fall into temptation.”
Pope Francis’ concern
Changing the Lord’s prayer got wide attention last year after Pope Francis discussed the line, “And lead us not into temptation,” with Fr. Marco Pozza, a Catholic prison chaplain, Dec. 6, as part of a television series on the Lord’s Prayer.
Pope Francis said the Italian and English translations of the “Our Father” can give believers the wrong impression that God can and does lead people into temptation. He told Pozza, “I’m the one who falls. But it’s not (God) who pushes me into temptation to see how I fall. No, a father does not do this. A father helps us up immediately.”
“The one who leads us into temptation is Satan,” the pope said. “That’s Satan’s job.”
Extraordinary assembly of bishops to meet
CNS says the conference has now called for an extraordinary assembly of bishops to meet Nov. 12-14 to discuss and approve the third edition of the missal, which would use the changed wording of the Lord’s Prayer for Mass and other liturgical rites.
aaron@ugchristiannews.com
