Catholic penitential practices

Italian comune

thumb|Mary Magdalene in cilice. Polychrome wood carving by [[Pedro de Mena, Church of San Miguel and San Julian, Valladolid]] A cilice , also known as a sackcloth, was originally a garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair (a hairshirt) worn close to the skin. It is used by members of various Christian traditions (including the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, and Scottish Presbyterian churches) as a self-imposed means of repentance and mortification of the flesh; as an instrument of penance, it is often worn during the Christian penitential season of Lent, especially

3 days set aside for fasting and prayer in each season

thumb|upright=1.25|Saint Peter Repentant 1823–25, Goya

religious practice

religious disciplines

thumb|250px|Pope Paul VI. 1967 Paenitemini is a 1966 apostolic constitution by Pope Paul VI. In Paenitemini Paul changed the strictly regulated Catholic fasting requirements. He recommended that fasting be appropriate to the local economic situation, and that all Catholics voluntarily fast and abstain. He further recommended that fasting and abstinence be replaced with prayer and works of charity "in countries where the standard of living is lower".

apostolic Constitution