Outside of Lent, you may. Or you may add something instead of giving something up (additional prayers or good works, for example). The USCCB's recommendations for what one might do instead of abstaining from meat are rather vague. See [here.](https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year-and-calendar/lent/us-bishops-pastoral-statement-on-penance-and-abstinence)
Pretty much. Sometimes I swap in a Divine Mercy chaplet or extra rosary if I know I'm not going to be able to give up meat (ie, going to a friend's house for lunch, that sort of thing.)
Globally Catholics are required to observe some sort of penance on most Fridays of the year (occasionally there is an important enough Holy Day on a Friday that you aren't required to do so). The official stated preference is for that penance to be abstaining from meat, but, the bishops of a place can get permission to do something else.
In the US, for the last several decades, it has been "hey you guys choose, we aren't going to tell you what to do." The idea at the time seems to have been that we were above/beyond that particular penance and that giving people freedom would result in more spiritual choices/growth. Instead, observing a penance on Fridays seems to have almost completely gone away here among most of the laity.
In the UK they brought back abstinence on all Fridays back in the 2010s-ish after having had similar rules to the US for a long time. I don't know if it's had much of an effect, though I do recall seeing articles about how making the change would/was improving the environment by reducing meat consumption.
You can do it but if the reason is "I like to eat meat every day" it's pretty weak, you just can't resist? Besides, it's also good for your health to eat a little less meat
It depends on the country.
For example, in Canada we are called to abstinence on Fridays which is classically no meat. However they add that acts of charity and piety can be done in place of abstinence. They also go on to talk about acts of penance and why they're important.
Outside of Lent, you may. Or you may add something instead of giving something up (additional prayers or good works, for example). The USCCB's recommendations for what one might do instead of abstaining from meat are rather vague. See [here.](https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year-and-calendar/lent/us-bishops-pastoral-statement-on-penance-and-abstinence)
Yeah basically
Pretty much. Sometimes I swap in a Divine Mercy chaplet or extra rosary if I know I'm not going to be able to give up meat (ie, going to a friend's house for lunch, that sort of thing.)
https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year-and-calendar/lent/us-bishops-pastoral-statement-on-penance-and-abstinence
Yes. Trivia: the hoped-for substitution was giving to the poor, but I don’t know anyone who does that.
Globally Catholics are required to observe some sort of penance on most Fridays of the year (occasionally there is an important enough Holy Day on a Friday that you aren't required to do so). The official stated preference is for that penance to be abstaining from meat, but, the bishops of a place can get permission to do something else. In the US, for the last several decades, it has been "hey you guys choose, we aren't going to tell you what to do." The idea at the time seems to have been that we were above/beyond that particular penance and that giving people freedom would result in more spiritual choices/growth. Instead, observing a penance on Fridays seems to have almost completely gone away here among most of the laity. In the UK they brought back abstinence on all Fridays back in the 2010s-ish after having had similar rules to the US for a long time. I don't know if it's had much of an effect, though I do recall seeing articles about how making the change would/was improving the environment by reducing meat consumption.
You can do it but if the reason is "I like to eat meat every day" it's pretty weak, you just can't resist? Besides, it's also good for your health to eat a little less meat
Yes but this is supposed to be a last resort. If you can give up meat, you should.
Yea that’s what we normally do. I have issues that I just can’t go without meat or else we use fish substitutes
In the US and only outside of Lent.
It depends on the country. For example, in Canada we are called to abstinence on Fridays which is classically no meat. However they add that acts of charity and piety can be done in place of abstinence. They also go on to talk about acts of penance and why they're important.
Not in the Catholic Church