Can Catholics eat Chicken on Fridays during Lent?

The disciplines and practices of Lent in the Catholic Church can be a cause of confusion to many non-Catholics who find ashes on foreheads, crosses made of palms, and statues covered in purple and veneration of the crucifix.Some Catholics have questions about certain aspects of Lent that may seem obvious to other Catholics.There is a lack of information on the internet about them.

The question would leave every generation of Catholics that came of age before 1966 scratching their heads.They would say that chicken is meat.How could anyone think differently?

A lot of Catholics are unsure or think otherwise.There are cultural changes within and outside of the Church.The ancient practice of abstaining from meat on every Friday of the year and its restriction to Ash Wednesday and the seven Fridays of Lent meant that the traditional knowledge of what the practice entails fell by the wayside.The length of time between these yearly celebrations is just long enough to let the details fade.

Changes in diet have led to the creation of different types of meat, such as red meat and white meat.It used to mean the flesh of mammals or fowl, as opposed to fish and other seafood.Chickens and all other poultry clearly belong in the category of warm-blooded creatures, which is what the restriction was about.

The National Pork Board once marketed pork as the other white meat, but as we have seen above, the law of abstinence has nothing to do with "red meat" or "white meat."Pork is meat and can't be eaten on days of abstaining.

Saint Peter was a fisherman and the early Church made a lot of money from the sale of fish.It is interesting to note that in the early days of the Western Church, many Christians avoided all flesh, warmblooded or cold-blooded.The Eastern Church still allows fish on solemnities during Lent, but only on days of strict fast.

The highest type of feast in the current calendar of the Catholic Church is essentially the same as a Sunday.Fasting on Sundays has been forbidden by the Church.The Annunciation of the Lord and the Feast of Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary are both solemnities that occur during Lent.The requirement to abstain from meat is not required when the feasts are on a Friday.

If you are below the age of 14 or in ill health, you don't need to abstain from meat after Saint Joseph's Day and the Annunciation.There is no upper age limit on the practice of abstaining from alcohol after the age of 59.

Long answer: Maybe.Saint Patrick's Day is solemn.See the next question.Individual bishops have the authority to waive the requirements of the law of abstinence for both individuals and groups of faithful in their diocese, up to and including their entire flock.If the bishop of your diocese is of Irish descent, and Saint Patrick's Day falls on a Friday, there is a good chance that he will waive the law of abstaining.If he does so, make sure you read his decree carefully, because some bishops only waive the requirement to abstain so long as you are eating corned beef.

What if your bishop is an Englishman or German who can't stand corned beef and has no sympathy for those who love it?On Saint Patrick's Day, you can have a potato with your Guinness and cook a meal.It will be cheaper to buy it on March 18.

On Saint Patrick's Day, aren't we all just a little bit Irish?Oh, you mean that you are a resident of the Emerald Isle, and not an American or Australian of Irish descent.You are in luck in that case.In Ireland and Ireland alone, Saint Patrick's Day is a solemnity which means you can eat a lot of things.