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Hi, Mary —
Any Roman Rite Catholic was exempt
from not eating meat yesterday. (Eastern
Rite Catholics in Eastern Rite territories
were not.) It's not so much the church changing the
rule, as the rule has a built-in
exception. The exception is that
on Solemnities, fasting and abstinence
are lifted, unless the Solemnity
is transferred because it is superseded.
For example, St. Joseph's and Annunciation
(March 25th) are the two solemnities
that often fall during Lent. If either
of them fall on Friday, unless it
is Good Friday, abstinence is lifted.
Often abstinence is lifted by explicit
dispensation if certain feasts in
certain dioceses fall on Friday;
for example, St. Patrick is the patron
saint of the Archdiocese of Boston,
raising his feast to the dignity
of a Solemnity, so the archbishop
expressly lifts abstinence when that
feast falls on Friday.
Hope this helps!
Eric
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