Led not into temptation: pope approves change to Lord's Prayer (2024)

Its words are memorised by Christian children all over the world and repeated at almost every act of Christian worship: “Our Father, who art in heaven … ”

Now Pope Francis has risked the wrath of traditionalists by approving a change to the wording of the Lord’s Prayer. Instead of saying “lead us not into temptation”, it will say “do not let us fall into temptation”.

The new wording was approved by the general assembly of the Episcopal Conference of Italy last month. It will appear in the third edition of the Messale Romano, the liturgical book that contains the guiding texts for mass in the Roman Catholic church.

The pope said in 2017 he believed the wording should be altered.

“It is not a good translation because it speaks of a God who induces temptation,” he told Italian TV. “I am the one who falls. It’s not him pushing me into temptation to then see how I have fallen.

“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.”

According to the Bible, Jesus taught the words to his disciples when they asked him how they should pray.

Some have expressed concern about changes to the wording. Meredith Warren, a lecturer in biblical and religious studies at Sheffield University, said: “This new version of the Lord’s Prayer tries to avoid implying that God has some hand in evil.

“But in doing so the pope not only overlooks the many biblical examples where God works with the devil to tempt his followers and even his own son. The new version actually goes against the plain meaning of the Greek of the gospel text.”

After French bishops altered the words in 2017, Philip Lawler, the editor of Catholic World News, a conservative website, said the change was “very upsetting” because the prayer was so deeply ingrained.

“Pope Francis has made a habit of saying things that throw people into confusion, and this is one of them,” he told the New York Times. “It just makes you wonder, where does it stop?
What’s up for grabs? It’s cumulative unease.”

The Catholic church in England and Wales said it had no immediate plans to change the wording. “The Lord’s Prayer has been changed in the Italian language – there are no plans at present for it to change in English,” a spokesperson said.

“Each language will be studied to see the specific meaning and understanding of the language. I am sure there will be some consultation with the English-speaking nations.”

Anglican worshippers can choose between traditional and contemporary versions of the prayer, but both include the words “lead us not into temptation”.

Led not into temptation: pope approves change to Lord's Prayer (2024)

FAQs

Led not into temptation: pope approves change to Lord's Prayer? ›

Now Pope Francis has risked the wrath of traditionalists by approving a change to the wording of the Lord's Prayer. Instead of saying “lead us not into temptation”, it will say “do not let us fall into temptation”. The new wording was approved by the general assembly of the Episcopal Conference of Italy last month.

Did the Pope change the words to the Lord's prayer? ›

Pope Francis reportedly approved changes to the wording of the Lord's Prayer, also known as the Our Father. Instead of saying, "Lead us not into temptation," Catholics will say, "Do not let us fall into temptation," The Guardian and Fox News reported.

Why did the Catholic Church change the Lord's prayer? ›

Instead of saying "lead us not into temptation", it will now say "do not let us fall into temptation". The changes to the prayer were made to remove the implication that God might lead people into temptation.

Why does the Our Father prayer say lead us not into temptation? ›

Clearly, the kind of peirasmos James means here is not the test or trial he refers to earlier, but rather the enticement to sin that we commonly mean today when we speak of temptation. James insists that God simply does not lure us into sin that way.

Why did the Catholic Church change the words in Mass? ›

The changes were decreed by Pope John Paul II in 2000 after the Vatican determined that there were too many differences in theological meaning between the original Latin and the English translation that's been in effect since the late 1960s.

Why don't Catholics say the end of the Lord's prayer? ›

Another of the main reasons is very simple; some people believed that the prayer should not end in evil, or the evil one, as it does. So, the doxology that we say at the Mass was included in the prayer itself.

What is the correct version of the Lord's prayer? ›

"Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Do protestants say the hail mary? ›

Some Protestant denominations also use the Hail Mary.

Who added the last line to the Lord's prayer? ›

The Jews frequently used these doxologies to conclude prayers at the time of Our Lord. In the early Church, the Christians living in the eastern half of the Roman Empire added the doxology "for thine..." to the Gospel text of the Our Father when reciting the prayer at Mass.

Why are there two versions of the Lord's prayer? ›

Matthew's version is embedded in the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus instructs his followers on personal practices of piety. Luke's shorter version is given at the request of his disciples, rather than delivered to a multitude.

What did Jesus say about praying to the Father? ›

The Lord Jesus Christ teaches us to pray and covenants that answers will be forthcoming. “Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name,” He declares (3 Ne. 18:19). “Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed” (3 Ne.

What did Jesus say about the Our Father prayer? ›

He said to them, "When you pray, say: "`Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.

What do Catholics say instead of "also with you"? ›

For example, when the priest says, “The Lord be with you,” the congregation has responded: “And also with you.” Under the new missal, the response is “And with your spirit.” That's from the original Latin, Et cum spiritu tuo. Preparation for the changes have been under way for a while throughout the church.

Do only Catholics use the word Mass? ›

The term Mass is commonly used in the Catholic Church, Western Rite Orthodoxy, Old Catholicism, and Independent Catholicism. The term is also used in some Lutheran churches, as well as in some Anglican churches, and on rare occasion by other Protestant churches.

Are there 2 versions of the Lord's prayer? ›

There is one version of the Lord's Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew; that is the one most churches use. There is another similar version in the Gospel of Luke. In addition, most Protestants add the phrase “for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever” which is not in the origin...

How did the Catholics say the Lord's prayer? ›

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace.

What prayers are changed in the Catholic Church? ›

Before Communion, in the Eucharistic prayer, the words are “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” Now, those words change to, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

Which pope changed the Ten Commandments? ›

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and my sister, and mother." Pope Benedict XVI stated that this dictum of Jesus brought the fourth commandment to a new and higher level.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Neely Ledner

Last Updated:

Views: 5545

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (62 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Neely Ledner

Birthday: 1998-06-09

Address: 443 Barrows Terrace, New Jodyberg, CO 57462-5329

Phone: +2433516856029

Job: Central Legal Facilitator

Hobby: Backpacking, Jogging, Magic, Driving, Macrame, Embroidery, Foraging

Introduction: My name is Neely Ledner, I am a bright, determined, beautiful, adventurous, adventurous, spotless, calm person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.