Louisiana, March 27, 2020: The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in the United States has made several changes in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

In addition to canceling public Masses, Bishop Shelton Fabre announced that he is waiving the requirement that Catholics avoid meat on the last two regular Fridays during Lent.

The obligation to avoid meat on Ash Wednesday, all Fridays during Lent and Good Friday is required of all Catholics 14 or older.

Bishop Fabre said he has granted a dispensation, or “exemption from the rule” to his Catholics of the obligation to abstain from eating meat for the two remaining Fridays in Lent but the rules of avoiding meat on Good Friday, April 10, will remain.

In his decree, Fabre cited challenges and hardships the COVID-19 outbreak has caused.

“The reason that I granted the dispensation is that there are those who, due to the current challenges from the pandemic and stay-at-home order, might find it burdensome to enter into the practice of abstaining from meat on the Fridays of Lent,” Fabre said in an interview Thursday. “If such is the case, I granted a dispensation from the penance of abstinence from meat on the remaining Fridays of Lent this year.”

The dispensation was granted with two conditions, Fabre said.

“The first condition that I stated in the dispensation is ‘for those who are able to keep this practice, I encourage you to continue to fulfill this obligation for your spiritual benefits and the good of the Church.’ Therefore, if members of the faithful are able to maintain the penitential practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays, I urge that they do so,” the bishop said.

“The second condition is that if members of the faithful are not able to maintain this practice in these challenging days, then they are dispensed, but as I stated in the text of the dispensation with the condition that ‘I ask you to substitute this with other forms of penance, especially works of piety or charity.’ Therefore, those who accept the dispensations must enter into some other form of penance in place of the abstinence from meat on Friday.”

Though it’s rare, Fabre’s decree isn’t the first time local Catholics were allowed to eat meat on Fridays in Lent.

“The dispensation from abstaining from meat on Friday in Lent is often granted by the Church for a number of reasons,” Fabre said. “A minor example would be that I am certain the faithful have seen news reports that when St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday during Lent, dispensations from the eating meat on that Friday are sometimes granted so that the traditional meal with corned beef might be consumed. In light of the circumstances, we face at this time regarding the coronavirus, surely the dispensation from meat for the remaining Fridays of Lent, but not Good Friday, is a prudent thing to do.”

Since Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a stay-at-home order, the diocese announced that daily and Sunday Masses will be available online and on the local channel HTV.

Baptisms, weddings and funerals will remain available for the time being but may only be celebrated with fewer than 10 people in attendance.

Fabre said the decision about eating meat on Fridays is just one of the difficult choices he was forced to make in recent weeks.

“While I would not say that compared to other decisions this was a difficult decision to make, I still did not make it lightly,” he said. “I realize that this dispensation hits at one of the classic opportunities for penance during the season of Lent, which is abstinence from meat on Fridays of Lent. This dispensation does not apply to Good Friday, however, when it is never dispensed.”

According to the diocese, there are 90,000 Catholics in the Houma-Thibodaux area.

https://www.dailycomet.com/news/20200326/local-bishop-allows-meat-on-remaining-fridays-in-lent