Subject: Lent. Why don't Catholics eat meat? |
Bible Note: New Creature, This subject of this dicipline(not a doctrine) has a long and varied history in the Church. The short answer to why fish is not considered meat is that meat is defined as coming from warm blooded animals in the current context. But some parts of the Church, certains religious orders and Eastern Rite Churches abstain even from fish, butter and eggs. The folowing is a brief extract from a much larger article on abstenance in the Catholic Encyclopedia. The link to the complete article is also below. if you are interested in the full history. "Throughout the Latin Church the law of abstinence prohibits all responsible subjects from indulging in meat diet on duly appointed days. Meat diet comprises the flesh, blood, or marrow of such animals and birds as constitute flesh meat according to the appreciation of intelligent and law-abiding Christians For this reason the use of fish, vegetables, mollusks, crabs, turtles, frogs, and such-like cold-blooded creatures is not at variance with the law of abstinence. " http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01067a.htm Emmaus |