Meat on Lenten Fridays, a mortal sin?

"A common question at this time of year," says Jimmy Akin, "is whether or not deliberately violating the law of abstinence is a mortal sin. It is. The relevant law is found in Paul VI's 1966 apostolic constitution Paenitemini."

In answer to a subsequent question whether the 1983 Code of Canon Law doesn't repeal and replace the previous norms, Akin says that the answer, again, is: no. And offers an extensive follow-up discussion on April 6, 2004. The seriousness of the Church's position on the GRAVITY of Penance, evidently, is something about which everyone, including local priests and bishops, are now largely oblivious!