Saturday, March 11, 2000
Catholics split on St. Pat's feast
Covington gives dispensation, but not Cincinnati
BY MARK CURNUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Catholics have permission to eat their corned beef in Covington on St. Patrick's Day. But in Cincinnati, they'll be on their own.
Covington Bishop Robert W. Muench on Friday granted special dispensation from the Friday Lenten observance of abstinence from meat for St. Patrick's Day, which is Friday. The dispensation covers the diocese's 87,000 Catholics and Catholics who will be in the diocese on March 17.
“But we are not encouraging anyone to come into the diocese just to eat meat,” Covington Diocese spokesman Tim Fitzgerald said. “That would be nitpicking the rules.”
Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk did not lift the rule for the 547,000 members of the 19-county archdiocese.
“It's serious to substantially observe abstinence from meat as a whole, but one day is not serious,” archdiocese spokesman Dan Andriacco said.
It's an issue that's playing out for Catholics across the country this year. Many bishops, including Boston's and New York's, are giving dispensation to parishioners who want to partake of the traditional Irish-American meal of corned beef and cabbage.
There are seven Fridays during Lent, a 40-day period of Christian preparation for Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of the crucified Jesus.
Catholics are supposed to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent as a means of penance.
“In answer to many requests and because of the special nature of this special celebration for our area, I am pleased to grant a special dispensation from the Friday Lenten observance of abstinence from meat on this feast day throughout the Diocese of Covington,” Bishop Muench said in a statement.
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