It is Father Z’s opinion (and mine) that in the United States, there is currently no obligation under pain of sin to do anything on Fridays outside of Lent. Penance and abstinence are “strongly encouraged” but the rule of abstinence was “hereby terminated” and not replaced with any other moral obligation.
It is the opinion of the bishops of England and Wales that their renewed call for abstinence on all Fridays does not mean that failure to observe this on individual Fridays is a mortal sin, but it is rather the intention to observe this penance in general binds gravely.
I think people were mostly objecting to your first statement.
