Meatless Fridays back? US bishops discuss ways to celebrate 10 years of 'Laudato Si''

BALTIMORE (OSV News) -- Methods of further incorporating "Laudato Si'," Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical on care of creation, into the life of the church at the local and national level was a point of discussion for the U.S. bishops during their fall general assembly Nov. 13, and included the suggestion of returning to the church's longtime practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays.

Archbishop Borys Gudziak, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the conference's Committee on International Justice and Peace, spoke on the upcoming 10th anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical, which is May 2025.

The bishops spent some time in table discussions Nov. 13 talking about how their dioceses and the USCCB can mark the anniversary and "help Catholics care for our common home."

"News is filled with wars, political polarization and violence, threats to life and inequality just to name a few," said Archbishop Gudziak, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. "It can be tempting to let care for creation become less prominent. The response I believe is found in 'Laudato Si'' itself: 'Everything is connected.'"

Archbishop Gudziak suggested that the document could be "integrated into our core mission of evangelization."

In order to do that, he said, evangelization must be seen and accepted as the framework for integral ecology, which is possible when using the lens of Pope Francis' encyclicals of "Laudato Si'," in which the pope offers his "vision of integral ecology" and "vision of the common good;" as well as "Fratelli Tutti," which centers on the practices and fraternity needed to reach achieve that vision, and "Dilexit Nos," which shows the necessity of conversion of heart at the individual level.

Archbishop Gudziak related care for creation to the 2025-2028 Mission Directive adopted that morning by the bishops that emphasizes the need to evangelize, particularly keeping in mind young people.

"When it comes to religiously disaffiliated or unaffiliated youth, care for creation is especially potent, because it speaks to both the path of justice and the path of beauty," he said. "Young people are drawn to the environment. They know its importance for them and for future generations. Religious or not, their engagement shows an innate sense of the dignity of life and creation. This way, we are blessed with a generation of young people who are passionate about the future of life on our planet."

Archbishop Gudziak presented two practical suggestions for consideration by the body of bishops: First, to use the Sabbath as a day to focus on the care for creation through "efforts centered on contemplation of creation, leisure, and celebration." These, he suggested, could include a pilgrimage to a local shrine, basilica or ecological site that "evokes the marvel of God's creation."

"Consider a special Mass for care for creation on the feast of St. Francis or preaching on the union of creation and the divine in the Eucharist," he added. "Such initiatives should be oriented to the Sabbath and overflow with celebration and joy.

"The goal of this suggestion is not to do something, but to experience something -- the mystery of God's presence in the sacraments and in creation," he said.

Archbishop Gudziak's second suggestion was more traditional: that the bishops consider restoring the church's tradition of abstaining from eating meat on Fridays, which was no longer obligatory after the reforms following the Second Vatican Council.

Noting that scholars have "calculated that environmental benefits ... are significant," Archbishop Gudziak said that return to this practice of abstaining from eating meat on Fridays "would be good for the soul and for the planet" and would help in "uniting our devotion to the Lord in reverence for the Lord's creation."

He added that fasting "could be an opportunity for synodal engagement," through "exploring ancient practices in the Latin rite, such as Ember Days or Advent fasts, and other rich Eastern Christian practices among Catholics and others."

For his part, Bishop Zaidan, who also leads the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, said that care for creation, in order to be "truly integral and integrated," must be "embedded in the local reality of each community or place."

He gave examples of practices already in place at organizations such as The Catholic University of America in Washington; Catholic Charities USA; and Catholic Relief Services. He also highlighted the work done at the diocesan, national and international levels.

Bishop Zaidan noted how the USCCB "continues to advocate for bipartisan policies to address climate change, as well as sustainable agriculture, protection for ecosystems and forests, and regulations on pollution, chemicals, nuclear waste, food" and more.

He stated that the USCCB continues to support "international efforts for climate mitigation and adaptation, with a specific care for the poor and vulnerable, who bear the brunt of disasters around the world."

"As we mark the anniversary of Laudato Si' we must keep the crying of the earth and the crying of the poor at the center," he said.