Where Did Abstaining from Meat Come from?

It is a commonly held notion that during the Middle Ages, the church clerics instituted the practice of not eating meat on Fridays in Lent to help the Italian fish industry. From Catholic priests to Eastern Orthodox priests, internet resources to printed texts, this theory seems to hold no water.

When did the Catholic Church start abstaining from meat?

In Catholicism

In the United States in 1966, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops passed Norms II and IV that bound all persons from age fourteen to abstain from meat on Fridays of Lent and through the year.

Where did giving up meat for Lent come from?

The traditions of fasting and abstaining from certain foods are ancient ones that have been practiced by many religions. In the early years of Christianity in Europe, the church instituted the practice of requiring the faithful to abstain from eating meat on Fridays in memory of Christ's death.