No, the Catholic Church has not canceled Valentine's Day, a holiday it started nearly 1500 years ago to honor St. Valentine, an early Christian martyr.
But several Catholic bishops are urging the faithful to forgo the steak and chocolates this year -- at least on Wednesday, the 14th. That's because the 14th is also Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent and is one of the holiest days on the calendar for many Western Christians.
Along with Good Friday, Ash Wednesday is supposed to be a somber day of prayer and penance. It's one of two days in the Catholic liturgical year in which abstinence and fasting are required.
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