SHOULD THE CHURCH RETURN TO STRICTER FASTING AND ABSTINENCE LAWS? YES, BUT WITH MODERATION AND INTENTIONALLY BREAKING THE FAST A VENIAL SIN RATHER THAN A MORTAL SIN…

The Pre-Vatican II Fast and abstinence may have been too severe leading the Church to grant dispensations to those who requested one—this was delegated to pastors to do so.

I think we need to recover the pre-Vatican II rules on fasting and abstinence, not just during Lent, but for the entire year.

However, there needs to be moderation and it should not be considered a mortal sin or a moral failure to break the fasting and abstinence rules. It should be viewed as a venial sin not needing the Sacrament of Confession for forgiveness. Wonton disobedience of what the Church asks, a kind of rebellion, though, should be classified as a mortal sin. 

I’ve embedded in red within the following AI text what modifications I would recommend:

Pre-Vatican II (pre-1962) Lenten fasting rules were much stricter than modern practices, 

requiring daily fasting and abstinence from meat for almost all of Lent. Fasting involved one full meal, allowed after noon, with two smaller, meatless meals (collations). Meat was forbidden Monday-Saturday, but Sunday was never a day of fast. 

Key Pre-Vatican II Rules:

• Daily Fasting: Fasting (1 meal, 2 smaller snacks) was required on all weekdays and Saturdays of Lent. (Let’s modify this rule to three full meals, but no eating between meals.)
• Meatless Days: Abstinence from meat was required every Friday and Saturday, plus Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday. (Meat is allowed at all other days/meals.)
• Partial Abstinence:
   On other days (Monday-Thursday), meat was typically permitted only once a day at the main meal. (Just allow meat at any meal.)
No Fasting on Sundays: Sundays in Lent were exempt from the fasting rules, though abstinence was often observed.
Workingman's Privilege: A common dispensation often allowed laboring families to eat meat more than once on non-Friday days. (Just extend this to everyone, period.)
Strictness: Violating these rules was traditionally considered a mortal sin. (Just make it a venial sin, unless the motive is rebellion.)
Before the Second Vatican Council, Lenten fasting and abstinence rules were significantly more rigorous than current practices, as defined primarily by the 
1917 Code of Canon Law. While modern rules only mandate fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the pre-Vatican II discipline required daily fasting throughout the entire season. 
Core Fasting Rules
The obligation of fasting typically bound those aged 21 to 59. 
• Duration: Fasting was required every day of Lent except for Sundays. (Three full meals a day, but no eating between meals.)
• Quantity: Only one full meal was allowed per day. (Three full meals—no eating between meals)
• Collations: Two smaller meatless meals (snacks) were permitted, but combined they could not equal the size of the main full meal. (This should be just on Fridays and Wednesdays.)
• No Snacking: Eating between meals was strictly forbidden, though liquids like water, tea, coffee, and fruit juices were allowed. 
Core Abstinence Rules
Abstinence from meat bound all Catholics starting from age 7. 
• Complete Abstinence: Meat and meat-based soups/gravies were entirely forbidden on Ash Wednesday, all Fridays and Saturdays of Lent, and the Vigil of Christmas. (This should be maintained or recovered!)
• Partial Abstinence: On other weekdays (Monday through Thursday), meat was permitted only once per day at the principal meal. (Meat allowed at all meals on these days.)
• Dairy and Eggs: While ancient traditions excluded all animal products (milk, butter, cheese, eggs), the 1917 Code generally permitted these items even on fast days, though regional variations existed. 
Traditional Observances vs. Regional Variations
• The "Black Fast": Traditionally, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday were observed as "black fasts," which originally meant no food until after sunset and strictly no animal products. (Recommend but do not mandate this.)
• Sundays: Sundays were never fast days in honor of the Resurrection; however, some traditionalists still maintained abstinence from meat on these days during Lent.
• Eucharistic Fast: Prior to changes in the 1950s and 60s, Catholics were required to fast from all food and water from midnight before receiving Holy Communion. (Return to the late 1950’s custom of 3 hours before Mass begins, or, make the one hour fast, one hour before Mass not before receiving Holy Communion.)