Overview
- Catholic rules require no meat on Good Friday for anyone 14 or older.
- Fasting on Good Friday applies to ages 18 to 59 and means eating less than usual.
- The practice is not a Bible command and grew in the early Church as a sign of mourning and self-denial.
- Reforms in 1966 and in the 1983 Code kept Good Friday’s obligation but let Catholics choose other acts of penance.
- Many replace meat with fish such as salt-cured cod or with plant proteins, and health experts say these swaps fit a balanced diet.