Will the Church of England revive its tradition of eating fish on Friday to meet carbon emissions target?

• Christians eat fish instead of meat on Fridays to mark the crucifixion of Jesus
• The Church of England wants to meet its net-zero carbon emissions target

For centuries, Christians have eaten fish instead of meat on Fridays to mark the crucifixion of Jesus.

Now the Church of England wants to revive the tradition – but for the more earthly reason of meeting its net-zero carbon emissions target.

A lay member of its governing body, the General Synod, raised the prospect ahead of Lent.

Professor Lynn Nichol asked bishops: ‘In the light of a recently published study by Cambridge University indicating that not eating meat on one day a week could “bring about a major reduction in global carbon emissions”, would the House of Bishops, in line with the Church of England’s commitment to carbon net-zero by 2030, commend to the Church and nation the practice of committing to meat-free Friday this Lent?’

The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham Usher, backed the proposal, adding: ‘It is, after all, entirely in line with the long-established Christian practice in many churches of avoiding meat on Fridays, and not only during Lent.’

For centuries, Christians have eaten fish instead of meat on Fridays to mark the crucifixion of Jesus

He joked: ‘And I am sure members can be more imaginative than the soggy fish fingers we used to get on Fridays for school dinners.’

The bishop said the move should be handled by the church’s Environmental Working Group so it can spread the word to dioceses across the country and ‘locate the proposal within the wider context of our multi-faceted strategy for reaching net-zero carbon’.

A Rocha UK – a charity that runs a programme known as Eco Church – welcomed the proposal. A spokesman said: ‘The evidence is clear that in the rich world a healthier diet would mean lowering our meat consumption. 

‘The evidence is also clear that the global rise in meat consumption is the biggest driver of environmental destruction and contributes to climate change.

‘So all Christians would be wise to consider how their diet aligns with our biblical mandate to both care for our bodies and care for creation.’

It comes after the Roman Catholic Church ordained in 2011 that followers should abstain from eating meat on Fridays in penance, reversing a relaxation of the rules in 1984.

However, the Church of England’s move risks opening it up to fresh claims that it has become too ‘woke’. Last week the Mail told how a church group is to consider whether clergy should be allowed to use gender-neutral pronouns in prayers rather than referring to God as male.

And traditionalists, particularly in Anglican Communion provinces around the world, are furious that the C of E has now agreed to bless same-sex civil marriages.

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