Italian translation of Lord’s Prayer is changed

THE Italian version of the Lord’s Prayer has been altered, the Vatican confirmed last week, after the translation of the third edition of the Roman Missal was confirmed. The penultimate line of the prayer, “Lead us not into temptation,” has been changed to “Do not abandon us to temptation.” This change will apply only to the RC version of the Lord’s Prayer in Italian, after the Pope confirmed the changes that had been proposed by the Italian Bishop’s Conference late last year. A similar change was made in France two years ago. Read more on the story in Andrew Brown’s press column

Gender document welcomed

THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales welcomed a Vatican document on the concept of gender this week, which expressed deep concern that the ideology of gender was causing confusion. The document said that the ideology of gender “denies the difference and reciprocity in nature of a man and a woman and envisages a society without sexual difference, thereby eliminating the anthropological basis of the family”. It went on: “It needs to be emphasised that “biological sex and the socio-cultural role of sex (gender) can be distinguished but not separated.” The English and Welsh bishops said that they were committed to listening to, and understanding, people who did not accept their biological sex.

West Indies approves women bishops

THE Anglican Province of the West Indies has given permission for women to be consecrated to the episcopate, after the 40th meeting of its Synod last week. The eight Caribbean Bishops gave their assent last week. Women clergy were first ordained 25 years ago in the diocese of Barbados. Jamaica is expected to be the first diocese to elect a woman as bishop.

Religious-beliefs test case ‘closely watched’

AN ASSISTANT bishop in Sydney, Dr Michael Stead, has said that Australian religious leaders are “closely watching” the case that the rugby player Israel Folau has launched in the Fair Work Commission against the termination of his contract by Rugby Australia, Muriel Porter writes. Mr Folau was sacked for posting messages on social media in which he wrote that homosexuals, among others, including adulterers and fornicators, would go to hell if they did not repent (News, 18 April). The case could have implications for all workplaces, Dr Stead said. Rugby Australia’s action, if upheld, meant that “any employer could impose a restrictive code of conduct that impinges on the religious belief of its employees.”