More Turkey, Please

Mindful of Cardinal Dolan’s desire to re-institute mandatory abstinence from meat on all Fridays for all American Catholics (a most laudatory goal), I nevertheless would be remiss in not passing on this story from our friends at Rorate:

A friendly and tasty reminder that there is a strong argument to be made that there is no required abstinence from meat this Friday.

Pope Pius XII

While always a topic of great discussion, it is a fact that Pope Pius XII granted Americans a dispensation from their Friday abstinence, so that they may enjoy turkey the Friday after Thanksgiving. …

So eat your turkey this Friday and give great thanks to a merciful God for all that we have to be thankful for. And, while you’re at it, thank and pray for Pope Pius XII before you dive into that turkey, that he may be canonized a saint soon.

Thank you, Pope Pius XII!

While many Catholics I know do still observe meatless Fridays, it has largely fallen out of favour because of the misbegotten notion that the practice was somehow abolished by Pope Paul VI in 1966.

What the Pope actually said in the Apostolic Constitution Paenitemini, is that bishops conferences may “Substitute abstinence and fast wholly or in part with other forms of penitence and especially works of charity and the exercises of piety.”

The American Bishops somehow managed to be both opaque and loosey-goosey when implementing this.

Confusion reigns to this day.

If Cardinal Dolan gets his wish, I think it would go a long way in restoring some cultural identity to America’s Catholics.

For today, however… pass me some turkey!