Archbishop Vincent Nichols calls on Catholics to keep the ordinary Friday fast as a Lenten penance - well, at least it's a start!

The BBC (here) has a story that headlines with the words: "Roman Catholics urged to give up meat for Lent." However, upon reading the story, and the pastoral letter it refers to, it seems that Archbishop Vincent Nichols is merely asking Catholics to abstain from eating meat during Fridays in Lent. And here was I assuming that all Catholics - except those in Spain* and the elderly or infirm - already abstain from eating meat on all Fridays outside the Easter season!

In a pastoral letter (here), which is being read in all his churches and chapels today, the Archbishop of Westminster says that:

“Every Friday during Lent holds a special place, for these Fridays link us to the Lord’s death on the Cross. So I ask you to ensure that you mark each Friday in Lent with an act of self-denial. The ancient tradition of the Church is that we do not eat meat on these Fridays. Let us take up again the practice of abstaining from meat, or another favourite part of our diet, on the Fridays of Lent.”

Of course, the reality is that every Friday of the year should hold a "special place" for those of us who are grateful for the Sacrifice of Calvary. I was under the impression that every day in Lent should be observed as if it were an ordinary penitential Friday - at the very least!

As is required at this time of the year, the Archbishop also reminds the faithful in his Diocese of the need to make additions to their prayer-life and alms-giving during the penitential season. I must confess that it is refreshing to learn that he is encouraging Catholics to “follow the Stations of the Cross in your church during these coming weeks." Vincent Nichols promotes this devotion in his letter by reminding us that: "meditating together on the suffering and death of the Lord, undergone for our sake, we come closer to him and renew our love for him.” He also asks Catholics to try and spend more time before the Blessed Sacrament during Lent.

The Archbishop's pastoral letter begins by stressing that "Confession is a major task for Lent" and also calls on the faithful to "...come closer to the Lord by... an additional generosity towards the poor." Unfortunately, though, it seems that these two major Lenten themes are not really enhanced upon by Vincent Nichols - one assumes that is because pastoral letters tend to be limited by nature.

It also seems that the Archbishop's Catholic identity might have undergone a renewal during the Papal visit last year. He concludes his letter, after reminding the faithful of the need to make time for personal reflection, by saying that:

"During the Visit of Pope Benedict last September we felt again a certain pride in being Catholics. We rediscovered our identity as members of a great family. He reminded us that our Catholic way of life should have a distinctiveness about it, one that emerges from our relationship with the Lord. During these coming weeks let us renew that relationship by steadfastly observing our Lenten practices and encouraging each other to do so." (emphasis mine)

This affirmation by Archbishop Nichols of our Catholic identity and our distinctive Christian heritage and traditions is to be welcomed, of course. Let's hope that other members of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales also "felt again a certain pride in being Catholic!" Who knows, they, too, might start promoting Friday fasts and traditional Catholic devotions once more! We can but hope... and pray!

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* Catholic Spain received a papal dispensation that allowed the Spanish to eat meat on Fridays. According to a Time magazine article (here), dated 18 June 1951, which reports on the fact that Catholics in New Mexico were about to lose this special privilege, "the original dispensation was granted to Spanish counts in 1089 by [Blessed] Pope Urban II, in recognition of Spain's valiant services in the Crusades. It was later extended to all Spanish peoples by Pope [St] Pius V after the victory of the Christian allies at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571." (additions in parenthesis mine)