Pope wants better translation of “lead us not into temptation” in the Lord’s Prayer

Pope Francis (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Pope Francis has said the Roman Catholic Church should adopt a better translation of the phrase “lead us not into temptation” in the Lord’s Prayer, the best known prayer in Christianity.

“That is not a good translation,” the pope said in a television interview on Wednesday night.

Francis said the Catholic Church in France had decided to use the phrase “do not let us fall into temptation” as an alternative and indicated that it or something similar should be applied worldwide.

The prayer is part of Christian liturgical culture and memorized from childhood by hundreds of millions of Catholics.

It is a translation from the Latin vulgate, which was translated from ancient Greek, which was in turn translated from Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus.

Liturgical translations are usually done by local Churches in coordination with the Vatican.

Photo Credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images