Bishops saying we can eat meat on Lenten fridays due to the COVID-19

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Because of the outbreak and how one said that we suffered enough this lent
 
catholicwx said:
Because of the outbreak and how one said that we suffered enough this lent
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No, you asked if they are “allowed”. I’m asking why you think they wouldn’t be “allowed” to dispense the faithful in their territory?
 
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No, you asked if they are “allowed”. I’m asking why you think they wouldn’t be “allowed” to dispense the faithful in their territory?
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The justification of how one said He was waiving it due to enough suffering this Lent is why I’m wondering if the enough suffering is a valid excuse to grant it.
 
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I read somewhere that the reason Vatican II made the fast easier was because the world had suffered so much from the two World Wars and was in need of healing as much as penitence.
 
You’ve got it reversed as the fast is for between 18 and 59 and the abstinence from meat is 14 until death. However, my question is the coronavirus a good and valid excuse for bishops to waive the abstinence from meat
 
Under no circumstances are the faithful bound to endanger their health with acts of penitence. If fasting or abstaining from meat would endanger your health (or that of your unborn child or nursing infant), you are dispensed from the obligation. If you are in doubt about whether or not your circumstance qualifies, consult your confessor.
 
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mythbuster1 said:
Under no circumstances are the faithful bound to endanger their health with acts of penitence. If fasting or abstaining from meat would endanger your health (or that of your unborn child or nursing infant), you are dispensed from the obligation. If you are in doubt about whether or not your circumstance qualifies, consult your confessor.
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They never were (least as long as I remener). This is not the point.
 
My late mother (eternal memory!) was in her mid-80s and NEVER ate meat on Good Friday or other Fridays of the year except the Privileged Weeks and even then she usually didn’t eat meat. She wouldn’t have coffee either until Father told her she could have milk because of her age.

When she has surgery ~ 2 years ago, she had to go to rehab. They brought her a hamburger on Friday. She pushed it away and said that she doesn’t eat meat on Friday. My jaw almost dropped with admiration. They brought her something else (non-meat) and she ate that. It happened that way every Friday until they finally understood that she wouldn’t eat meat on Friday.

My mom… ❤️
 
Some Bishops regularly dispense for St Patrick’s Day, when it falls on a Friday, during Lent. Some do so for St Joseph.

They certainly have the “right” to do it. And with all that is going on in the world, I can see their point.

We still have plenty of eggs and pasta. So we can easily avoid meat. But many people don’t. And if they are like me, they aren’t going out, at all.

Additionally, for instance, my husband (who isn’t Catholic and doesn’t have to follow meat free Fridays) is working second shift. He normally comes home for lunch when working his normal day shift. I can make something meat free for him and it isn’t a big deal. Now, he packs something quick and easy. Generally leftovers. Yes, there are some options. But eating meat would be much easier for all of us.
 
May she rest in peace✝️

Stark contrast to today’s generation, where sitting around the house, watching Netflix, surfing the web, and being “stuck” spending time with one’s family is considered a huge sacrifice.
 
Thank you. There’s a prayer thread here too:
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Prayer requests for the deceased and the Poor Souls in Purgatory! Prayer Intentions
For those who have died of Covid-19. My own dear Ma and Pa, the ex-wife of @Dsivanish, the Mother of @(name removed by moderator), the Father of @UpUpAndAway, and Helen, dear Mother of @Margaret_Ann, as well as her Aunt Margaret, and for all departed loved ones of @Minks, we pray: Oh, gentle heart of Jesus, ever-present in the Blessed Sacrament, Ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in Purgatory, Have mercy on them. Be not severe in Your judgement, But let some drops of…
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catholicwx said:

Because coronavirus has led to enough sacrifices, Catholic bishops say it’s…​

The unusual dispensations are the latest example of how the global pandemic has upended religious traditions.

Apparently a few bishops think it’s ok to dispense the no meat obligation. Are they allowed to do so outside of the annunciation and maybe St Joseph? A conservative friend of mine says that they can’t do that.
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I would have nothing against a bishop dispensing from the meat abstinence obligation during these times. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find desired foods, and it may get worse before it gets better. I placed an online grocery order from my nearby store and could not get ground beef, orange juice, canned corn or peas (at least the brands I selected, and they don’t have an option on the website to indicate substitutes) — I have started doing my grocery shopping online and picking it up from the parking lot, they’ll bring it out to you. The food shortages are starting to feel a little Soviet — I’ve seen what low food supplies look like in Poland — and we aren’t in the position to be as picky as we otherwise might be.

I know some people make do with bread, potatoes, and so on, during Lent, but I have a medical condition that requires my diet to be balanced, nutritious, protein-rich, and fairly low-carb. There are some proteins that are difficult to get without resorting to meat, especially when substitutes are in short supply. I try to keep Friday abstinence even outside of Lent (this is what the Church requires, and only allows substitition of penance in the US as a derogation from the general law), but it may be more difficult in the coming weeks and months. If the Church will cut us some slack, I’ll accept that. Substituting another penance would be a good idea.

(Incidentally, the church featured in the Washington Post article is a schismatic sect. They are not part of the Diocese of Scranton.)

ETA — since then, my grocer has added an opt-out substitution option. My son would not accept a substitute for his Nacho Cheese Doritos! He can put away a whole big bag of those, and he is a skinny little guy. He burns calories like a blast furnace. Must have skipped a generation 🥴
 
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