Pope wants better translation of phrase on temptation in 'Our Father' prayer

[December 07, 2017]    VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has said the Roman Catholic Church should adopt a better translation of the phrase "lead us not into temptation" in the "Our Father", the best known prayer in Christianity.

Pope Francis gestures during a news conference on board of the plane during his flight back from a trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh, December 2, 2017. REUTERS/Vincenzo Pinto/Pool

"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, also called "The Lord's 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.

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)

[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.