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For Catholics, fasting is the reduction of one's intake of food, while abstinence refers to refraining from something that is good, and not inherently sinful, such as meat. The Catholic Church teaches that all people are obliged by God to perform some penance for their sins, and that these acts of penance are both personal and corporeal.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' pastoral statement on penance and abstinence preserves "the tradition of abstinence from meat on each of the Fridays of Lent, confident that no Catholic ...
The Friday fast is a Christian practice of variously (depending on the denomination) abstaining from meat, dairy products and alcohol, on Fridays, or holding a fast on Fridays, [1] [2] that is found most frequently in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist traditions.
The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference decided to allow other forms of Friday penance to replace that of abstinence from meat, whether in Lent or outside Lent, suggesting alternatives such as abstaining from some other food, or from alcohol or smoking; making a special effort at participating in family prayer or in Mass; making the Stations of ...
Specifically, some Catholics fast from (give up) meat during the Fridays of Lent (as well as “Ash Wednesday”), and others refrain from eating meat on Fridays year-round.
Abstention from meat, other than fish, was historically done for religious reasons (e.g. the Friday Fast). In the Methodist Church, on Fridays, especially those of Lent, "abstinence from meat one day a week is a universal act of penitence". [1] [2] Anglicans (Episcopalians) and Roman Catholics also traditionally observe Friday as a meat-free day.
Additionally, at the time, it was a Catholic practice to abstain from meat in the lead-up to holy days, including Christmas Eve. In southern Italy, that meant an elaborate fish dinner, as National ...
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are also days of abstinence from meat (mammals and fowl), as are all Fridays during Lent. [46] Some Roman Catholics continue fasting throughout Lent, as was the Church's traditional requirement, [47] concluding only after the celebration of the Easter Vigil.