English bishops reestablish meatless Fridays

Catholics in England and Wales will be obliged to abstain from meat every Friday beginning September 16--the anniversary of the first day of Pope Benedict’s 2010 trip to the United Kingdom.

“Every Friday is set aside by the Church as a special day of penance, for it is the day of the death of our Lord,” the bishops of England and Wales said in a May 13 statement. “The law of the Church requires Catholics to abstain from meat on Fridays, or some other form of food, or to observe some other form of penance laid down by the Bishops' Conference.”

“Respectful of this, and in accordance with the mind of the whole Church, the Bishops' Conference wishes to remind all Catholics in England and Wales of the obligation of Friday Penance,” the bishops continued. “The Bishops have decided to re-establish the practice that this should be fulfilled by abstaining from meat. Those who cannot or choose not to eat meat as part of their normal diet should abstain from some other food of which they regularly partake.”

“Many may wish to go beyond this simple act of common witness and mark each Friday with a time of prayer and further self-sacrifice. In all these ways we unite our sacrifices to the sacrifice of Christ, who gave up his very life for our salvation.”