The Catholic Church of England and Wales has officially returned to the practice:

The practice of abstaining from eating meat on Fridays has returned to the Catholic Church in England and Wales after an absence of 27 years.

… “Over the past 20 to 30 years we’ve perhaps lost touch with some of the more grounded Catholic practices and that, in turn, has chipped away at belief in more fundamental things too. So the restoration of this ancient Catholic tradition can help reverse that trend,” Schofield said.

The decision to reinstate the custom was announced by the bishops of England and Wales in May. September 16 was chosen as the reintroduction date because it marks the first anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s arrival in the United Kingdom.

The practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays was traditionally a way of remembering that Jesus Christ died on that day of the week. However, the Church in England and Wales abandoned the centuries-old custom back in 1984.

At the time, the bishops stressed that other forms of Friday penances were also acceptable. The result, though, seemed to be that the practice of Friday penance fell away altogether. [CNA]

A good anecdote about how meatless Fridays support Catholic identity and represent an easy manner of quiet (yet effective) Catholic witness:

The bishops also hope the custom will help draw others to the Catholic Church. In a statement earlier this month, they observed that “traditional Catholic devotions such as making the sign of the cross with care and reverence, praying the Angelus, saying a prayer before and after our meals, to name only a few,” can be “a powerful call to faith.”

“I’d agree,” says Dominic Schofield, “the decision by the bishops will have great apostolic value.

“For example, when somebody now asks ‘Do you have any special dietary requirements?’ we can now say, ‘Yes, I can’t eat meat on a Friday. I’m a Catholic!’”

In solidarity with our Brit Catholic friends, I’m not having meat this Friday. I invite you to do the same!

Photo: www.Franciscan.edu

The case is believed to be the first in which the Equality Act has been used successfully to defend a “pro-life” position as a philosophical belief and could have implications for other Christian medical staff.

The nurses, who are both from overseas and do not wish to be identified, were moved from their normal nursing duties at a London hospital to work once a week at an abortion clinic.

They were required to administer two drugs to pregnant women – Mifepristone and Misoprostol – to cause an induced miscarriage. The process, known as “early medical abortion”, is an increasingly common method of terminating a pregnancy and does not involve surgery.

When the nurses discovered that they were participating in abortions they objected but were told by managers that they must continue with the work.

One hospital manager allegedly told the pair: “What would happen if we allowed all the Christian nurses to refuse?”

Then the nurses got help from lawyers who specialize in defending religious liberty:

However, the hospital later backed down after the Thomas More Legal Centre, which specialises in religious discrimination cases, took up their case.

After receiving a letter from the centre, the hospital initially told the nurses that they would be excused from administering the abortion-inducing drugs but would have to remain working at the clinic.

The nurses’ lawyer, Neil Addison, wrote again to the hospital stating that the nurses would still be “morally complicit in abortion” if they continued to work in the clinic as nurses in any capacity. The hospital eventually conceded and the nurses were allocated to other duties.

I hope that nurses and doctors here in the United States facing similar efforts to coerce them into being complicit with or performing abortions will pursue the legal means at their disposal to defend their pro-life principles.