Fasting And Abstinence When Sick

[ChristinaTherese]

I'm pretty certain that fasting is not required when sick, but is abstinence?

[cappie]

All Catholics age 18 to 59 are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. You are excused from fasting if you have a legitimate need to eat a normal amount of food on fast days. This includes:

• The sick or infirm, including handicapped or mentally ill people who need the nourishment or cannot make a free choice to fast
• Pregnant or nursing women
• Some manual laborers

Abstinence means not eating meat (fish is not considered meat in this case). All Catholics 14 and older are required to observe abstinence on these days:

• Ash Wednesday, Good Friday (the Friday before Easter),

 

There is no exception to abstinence unless you would have a medical condition that means you cannot eat fish and because of this you need the protein from meat.

 

I should add that I live in Australia and abstinence from meat  is not required here on the other Fridays of Lent :saint2:

Edited March 1, 2014 by cappie