Does Fridays in Lent rule vary across countries?

[Flopfoot]

I never realised that different countries have different rules for Catholics until last year on All Saints’ Day, when all the people from the USA on these forums were saying it was a holy day of obligation - its not in Australia. I was wondering if that’s the same about not eating meat on Fridays in Lent, I coulda sworn that Fridays in Lent are just the same as other Fridays of the year (not counting Good Friday). Is there any way I can know what rules are ‘international’ and what rules apply to Americans but not Australians?

 

[LittleDeb]

I’m not sure on this one, but it could be one of those, “The bishop can move the holy day to the nearest Sunday” things. I don’t know how many diocese are in Australia, so it could be country wide or just a lot of diocese there moved it.

On the Lent thing: Does Australia still do meatless Fridays year-round?

 

[LilyM]

In recent years we Australians have gone back to the ‘Fridays year round you should EITHER abstain from meat OR do some other extra prayer/good works/etc’ rule, which was neglected for a while.

Floppy, Fridays in Lent are meant to be abstinence (no meat) and Ash Wednesday and Good Friday you’re meant to fast as well (2 smallish meals or the equivalent food spread over 3 meals and no snacks between). Those rules were fairly well publicised in the two churches I attend, and I imagine in most other churches as well

In Australia new rules were set by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (presumably countrywide) in 2001. The only non-Sunday Holy Day of Obligation in Australia (apart from Christmas of course) is now the Assumption (August 15). Hope the information helps.

 

[Brendan]

Some Fridays might not be meatless in certain countries or diocese.

This year, the Feast of St. Patrick is a prime example. It falls on a Friday. But as the Patron St. of Ireland it is a Solemnity in Ireland, and (generally) in any diocese that has St. Patrick as it’s diocesean patron.

So the Solemnity Celebration of God giving Patrick to His Church is greater than the penitential nature of a Lenten Friday.

So the celebration overcomes the sorrow in this case, and laws of Abstinence do not apply.

So there is some variation on a given Friday, but all the Latin Church should otherwise observe Abstience on Lenten Fridays