Catholics have been urged to observe the ancient practice of not eating meat on Fridays.

The custom of abstaining from meat as an act of penance for the death of Christ will be re-established from September 16 – the first anniversary of Pope Benedict’s visit to Britain.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said the decision to reintroduce the practice was taken at least partly as a result of the papal visit, which had created “a fresh expression of self-confidence and identity among Catholics”.

“We observed there was a greater enthusiasm among many Catholics to observe the penance in Lent,” the archbishop said.

“What we’ve sought to do in this decision is establish a shared practice.”

The church said the ritual would be a “clear and distinctive mark of Catholic identity” and would help to unite the faithful.

The ruling marks a reversal from guidance issued by bishops in 1984, which said Catholics could choose from a range of options how to mark Christ’s death on Fridays.

The archbishop said many Catholics would go further by giving up alcohol, attending Mass, reading the Bible or fasting completely.

Practising Catholics who do not eat meat are encouraged to give up another staple food, Archbishop Nichols said.

The ruling was made at the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, which met in Leeds this week.

The bishops condemned plans by Education Secretary Michael Gove not to recognise religious education under the English Baccalaureate – a qualification that will recognise success at GCSE in five core academic subjects.

A resolution voted for by the bishops said they had “very serious reservations” about the plans for the “EBacc”. History, geography and modern languages would recognised but RE would not.