Catholics have been urged to observe the ancient practice of not eating meat on Fridays.

The custom of abstaining from meat as an act of penance for the death of Christ will be re-established from September 16 – the first anniversary of Pope Benedict’s visit to Britain.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said the decision to reintroduce the practice was taken at least partly as a result of the papal visit, which had created “a fresh expression of self-confidence and identity among Catholics”. Read more