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"  Catholics around the world have been celebrating the announcement of Pope Francis. Now catholics in Louisiana have one more reason to celebrate: they can eat alligator during the abstaining days of Lent. More From Delish: 23 Spring Easter Dinner Recipes from Martha Stewart According to NPR, the alligator was officially sanctioned as a member of the seafood group three years ago after Jim Piculas wrote a letter to Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans asking to settle a debate among his friends. The Archbishop responded saying, &amp;quot;Yes, the alligator&amp;#039;s considered in the fish family, and I agree with you \u2014 God has created a magnificent creature that is important to the state of Louisiana, and it is considered seafood.&amp;quot; The reptile is a favorite among residents of Lousiana, especially in New Orleans, where you can find it in everything from po boy sandwiches to cheesecake at Jacques-Imo&amp;#039;s. Because the question comes up in Louisiana every year during Lent, when Catholics around the world may eat seafood but no other meat on Fridays, Piculas posted the archbishop&amp;#039;s letter on Facebook and it went viral. More From Delish: Fresh and Fantastic Fish and Seafood Ideas As New Orleans is also a shrimp town, this is welcome news for Jay Nix, owner of the Parkway Bakery. During Lent, seafood orders at Parkway are high in demand, reaching 3,400 pounds of shrimp per day. He hopes news of alligator being approved as seafood will &amp;quot;take some pressure off of our shrimp sales.&amp;quot; Do you think alligator qualifies as seafood? What fish do you eat on Fridays? Find more great food content on Delish:   Search for the perfect recipe from our homepage Find out the latest food news Get a recipe book to save your favorite dishes Sign up for our free newsletters Check us out on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/holiday-recipes/easter/news/a39198/archbishop-approves-alligator-for-eating-during-lent/>