Expensive seafood over meat? Cardinal hits wrong Lenten priorities

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‘Hindi ba mas makabuluhang penitensya kaysa bawas-kanin ang bawas-tsismis?’ says Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David as the season of Lent begins

MANILA, Philippines – Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David criticized the practice of many Catholics who, during Fridays of Lent, fulfill the requirement of avoiding meat but consume expensive seafood instead. 

Friday, March 7, is the first Friday of Lent. 

“Walang saysay ang mag-fasting sa karne pero o-order ka naman ng African sea bass sa mamahaling restaurant, o lobster (It is meaningless to fast on meat but order African sea bass at an expensive restaurant, or lobster),” said David in a homily on Ash Wednesday, March 5, the start of the Lenten season.

“‘O, hindi ako kumain ng baboy, lobster lang (Oh, I didn’t eat pork, just lobster),’” David said, mimicking the arguments of Catholics who engage in this practice.

“And you call that fasting?” he remarked.

David, 66, is the bishop of the Diocese of Kalookan and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. Trained by Jesuits at San Jose Seminary, the 10th Filipino cardinal in history is known for skewing more toward social justice in interpreting Catholic doctrine. 

In his homily at the beginning of Lent, the cardinal added that Catholics should not call it penance “if our intention is just to reduce weight or get sexy.”

“Hindi ba mas makabuluhang penitensya kaysa bawas-kanin ang bawas-tsismis, o ang bawas-oras sa social media?” he said. (Isn’t less gossip, or less time on social media, a more meaningful penance than less rice?)

The Catholic Church requires Catholics aged 14 and above to abstain from meat on all Fridays of Lent, as well as Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, as a form of sacrifice. Lent is a 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to prepare Catholics for the celebration of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection during Holy Week. 

The practice of Lenten abstinence, however, has either been disregarded or debated by many Catholics.

One of the points of contention involves fulfilling the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, along the same lines of David’s argument.

A fake Pope Francis quote on the topic — where he supposedly encouraged Catholics to “eat whatever you want” during Lent — even went viral in 2024 and again this year. 

While the Catholic Church maintains the need for abstinence, bishops and priests such as David have also constantly reminded their flock not to forget the essentials.

David, an internationally trained biblical scholar, quoted the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (58: 5-7).

“Tinanong daw ng Panginoon sa bayang Israel: ‘Ito ba ang klase ng pag-aayuno na hinihingi ko sa inyo? Ang iyuko ninyo ang mga ulo ninyo na parang tambo, ang maligo kayo sa abo at magsuot ng basahan na gula-gulanit? Ito ba?” David said.

Still quoting from Isaiah, he continued: “Hindi ba ito ang ayuno na ikinalulugod ko: Ang makita na mapalaya ang mga nakagapos sa tanikala ng pagkaalipin, ang magpagaan ang pasanin ng mga nabibigatan, ang magbahagi ng makakain sa mga nagugutom, o nang masisilungan sa mga palaboy?” – Rappler.com