U.S. bishop calls for return to Friday abstinence from meat

Baltimore, Md., Nov 13, 2024 / 15:50 pm

A leading U.S. Catholic bishop on Wednesday called on his fellow bishops to help revive the tradition of abstinence from meat on Fridays as a way to commemorate the upcoming 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ 2015 environmental encyclical Laudato Si'.

Archbishop Borys Gudziak, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, the committee charged with advancing Catholic social teaching, made his remarks at the conference’s annual fall meeting in Baltimore on Nov. 13.

In 1966, the USCCB (then called the National Conference of Catholic Bishops) removed the obligation of the faithful to abstain from meat on Fridays except during Lent. The tradition of fasting on Fridays dates back to the early Church but was codified in canon law in 1917. 

“We could renew the tradition of Friday abstinence from meat,” said Gudziak, the metropolitan archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. “A return to Friday abstinence would be good for the soul and for the planet, maybe for something else, uniting our devotion to the Lord and reverence for the Lord’s creation.”

He noted that in 2011, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales introduced the pre-Vatican II practice, inspired by a pastoral visit to England by Pope Benedict XVI, who he said was known as the “Green Pope” for his emphasis on the importance of caring for creation.

Reintroducing fasting on Fridays would also bring the Roman Catholic Church closer to its Eastern brothers, he said. 

“Furthermore, fasting could be an opportunity for synodal engagement, exploring ancient practices in the Latin rite, such as Ember Days or Advent fasts, and other rich Eastern Christian practices among Catholics and others,” Gudziak said. 

In addition to fasting, Gudziak suggested Catholics honor the Sabbath and turn to the sacrament of the Eucharist.

“In a world of constant work and stimulation, with ever-present photos, screens, and gadgets, in essence, our world does not rest and struggles with leisure. Perhaps, providentially, 2025 memorializes not only Laudato Si’ but also the jubilee, a special year rooted in Sabbath rest,” he said.

“Our hyperactive world yearns for the Sabbath, which is expressed in the Sunday Eucharist when the Lord makes all things new,” he continued. “On this theme, I would suggest efforts centered on contemplation of creation, leisure, and celebration. This could lead to a pilgrimage to a significant local shrine, basilica, or ecological site in your diocese or eparchy that evokes the marvel of God’s creation.” 

He suggested bishops consider celebrating a special Mass for care for creation on the feast of St. Francis or “preaching on the union of creation and the divine in the Eucharist.”

“To be truly restful, such an initiative should be oriented to the sacraments and overflow with celebration and joy,” he said. ”The goal of this suggestion is not to do something but to experience something, the mystery of God’s presence in the sacraments and in creation.”