Fasting & abstinence

[vince2paul]

I know, you may be bored with this topic.
Can a bishop change the requirement of fasting and abstinence during Lent?

Apparently, I just heard from my friend that in her diocese the Bishop change it to 40 days of fasting and abstinence. I thought it is univeral that we only need to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstinence on Fridays of Lent?

 

[tee_eff_em]

I know, you may be bored with this topic.
Can a bishop change the requirement of fasting and abstinence during Lent?

Apparently, I just heard from my friend that in her diocese the Bishop change it to 40 days of fasting and abstinence. I thought it is univeral that we only need to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstinence on Fridays of Lent?

It seems a stretch to interpret all 40 days of Lent as an “individual occasion”. Are you sure your friend understood correctly?

Can. 1244 §1 Only the supreme ecclesiastical authority can establish, transfer or suppress holydays or days of penance which are applicable to the universal Church, without prejudice to the provisions of Can. 1246 §2.
§2 Diocesan Bishops can proclaim special holydays or days of penance for their own dioceses or territories, but only for individual occasions.

tee

 

[vince2paul]

It seems a stretch to interpret all 40 days of Lent as an “individual occasion”. Are you sure your friend understood correctly?

tee

Actually, can you explain more about ‘individual occasion’?

 

[tee_eff_em]

Actually, can you explain more about ‘individual occasion’?

Not myself, but the New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law says, in part:

The bishop can establish such a day in an individual instance (per modum tantum actus), but not on an ongoing basis. To be legally binding, the obligation should be stated in a general decree establishing the special feast or day of pennance, which decree must be promulgated (cc. 29; 8. §2). A decree is not necessary if the bishop does not intend a legal obligation but only to encourage or invite the people to observe a special feast day or day of pennance.

40(-ish) continuous days seems pretty “ongoing” to me. :twocents:

Perhaps your friend’s bishop did not intend a legal obligation, but was only encouraging, etc, etc?

tee