Thanks for your wonderful comment :)

Thanks for your wonderful comment :)

Welcome!

Great answer, as usual. As a former Catholic, it was my understanding that the church's dietary restrictions were dictated directly by the Pope. Prior to the 1960's, it was tradition to fast as you described and to abstain from meat consumption on all Fridays, but there were several exceptions for the young, old, weak, or infirmed. It's also not viewed as a transgressional sin not to do so, but more of a sin of the order of not doing one's best effort or similar. Pope Paul VI, at some point before I was born, lifted the restriction of abstinence on Fridays, which the church viewed as his prerogative, and codified into church law sometime thereafter. As there is no longer a church doctrine requiring abstinence, few Catholics continue to do so, but there are some (very few) who choose to do so as a way to remember Jesus' sacrifice, just as you do. But then, the Catholic church has a long history of finding ways around the doctrine, like declaring many animals who are clearly avian or mammalian as being "fish," just to circumvent the restrictions on eating them on Fridays, and for no other reason.

Now...I expected this. I've heard many Catholics say, "We don't have to abstain on Fridays any more"...but every Catholic web site I find that refers to official church doctrine teaches that it IS STILL REQUIRED, but that an ALTERNATIVE is also ALLOWED in SOME NATIONS. In the U.S., the alternative is to (not the exact wording) "do a good deed". Let's see if I can find one of those web sites for you. *** Ahh, here it is: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/answers/fast-and-abstinence-24900 *** I quote: On the Fridays outside of Lent, the U.S. bishops conference obtained the permission of the Holy See for Catholics in the US to substitute a penitential, or even a charitable, practice of their own choosing. They must do some penitential/charitable practice on these Fridays. For most people the easiest practice to consistently fulfill will be the traditional one, to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year. During Lent abstinence from meat on Fridays is obligatory in the United States as elsewhere. *** SO: contrary to what many Catholics have told me, the "abstinence every Friday" rule is still active, but in the U.S. can be substituted for another sort of penitential act of one of the specific types listed.