Originally published at National Catholic Register
A suggestion by an Eastern Rite bishop that Catholics in the United States once again give up eating meat on Fridays throughout the year has drawn interest from more than a dozen bishops in the country.
Several bishops told the Register they hope the U.S. bishops discuss the idea at their next gathering in June 2025.
But an early canvas suggests a renewed practice, if it occurs, might look different from the Church’s previous rule, which forbade Catholics from eating meat on almost all Fridays of the year under pain of mortal sin. Several bishops told the Register they don’t want to go that route.
“A voluntary return to an act of penance, for instance meatless Fridays, would be an opportunity for Catholics not only to demonstrate their shared commitment to care for God’s creation, but also reorient themselves to a spirit of self-sacrifice in gratitude for Jesus making the ultimate sacrifice for us on the cross that first Good Friday,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, told the Register by email through a spokesman.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan.(Photo: Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/CNA)
He said he’s grateful for the suggestion and hopes “that it becomes widespread in its acceptance.”
The Register
