As Luck Would Have It, Bishops Allow Meat on St. Patrick's Day

The Washington Post

For centuries, the Vatican required Catholics to abstain from eating meat on all Fridays to observe the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Forty years ago, it decided that Catholics needed to follow that rule only during Lent, the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter.

Now bishops are waiving even that rule, granting dispensation tomorrow for St. Patrick's Day, despite the Vatican's prohibition. About one-third of the country's 197 dioceses have issued a one-day waiver of the rule, citing the benefits of Irish American tradition and community.

Oh, brother. Lest we think they're becoming too lenient, though,

The bishops who waived the rule for this St. Patrick's Day said that Catholics eating meat should offset their action by making another sacrifice tomorrow or on another day during Lent.

Categories: meat | Lent | Catholicism | St. Patrick's Day