The Pope Canceled St. Patrick's Day?!

I would consider myself a relatively devote Catholic. I avoid meat on Fridays during Lent (thankfully we have amazing Crab cakes in this area!), I try my best to go to Mass every week, and even taught Sunday School. The 19 years of Catholic School never prepared me for this- the Pope Canceled St. Patrick's day. The holiday is in honor of a Saint after all- Saint Patrick (ie the St. Patrick's Cathedral, etc.) when he ran all the snakes out of Ireland. Its a very CHRISTIAN holiday. I understand that it is Holy Week (or in Texas Holy Cow week as I was just reminded!) At the same time, our former Pope allowed us to eat Corned Beef a few years ago when St Paddy's Day fell during lent on a Friday. What gives with the new guy canceling every Catholic Irishman's favorite holiday? To each their own, but I'd say this isn't the best strategy when church attendance is in decline and the Church is struggling to bring more parishioners to Mass each week.

On a side note, perhaps St. Patrick's day is becoming more commercial than religious, as Guinness is lobbying Congress to recognize St. Paddy's day as a national holiday with Proposition 317... Separation of Church and State?