No, the Catholic church is not ALL about lifting people out of poverty. It does other things, like helping give moral guidance to people, or providing a sense of community. So no, it is not ALL about lifting people out of poverty.

Morons need to read what is written, not what they think is being said.

*sigh* it is also not required of all Catholics. Children under the age of 16 (i think its 16, may be 14) are not required to do it, neither are the elderly or the sickly. So no, it is not required of ALL Catholics.

Damn absolutist statements.

Oh... and you get your information on Catholicism from a Dummys book? You know, the Vatican puts out a book defining Catholicism and Catholic opinion as well, you may have heard of it... the Catechism?

Oh, and if you can't tell, I'm a Catholic. I would guess that you are... but obviously an American Catholic. Which really comes across as something different... arrogant dick. Attacking people because they don't know the details of someone else's religious affiliation.

From '04:

NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The first two weeks of the Lent season provided a double dose of sales records for Captain D's Seafood.

Thanks in part to its Shrimp Celebration promotion, which featured the company's newest product, Double-Dozen Shrimp, Captain D's recorded its two highest average unit sales..

Long John Silver's goes one better for the faithful of the Holy See:

Gates points out that practically every fast-food chain offers a cookie-cutter style fish sandwich during Lent, but it takes a company like Long John Silver's to offer an exciting menu item like Lobster Bites.

"We appeal to seafood lovers year round; this isn't a part-time job for us," Gates said. "That's why you'll find an exciting product like Buttered Lobster Bites only at Long John Silver's, while the 'seafood pretenders' serve up their generic fish sandwiches for Lent."

Typically the items sold in church go to the pay and running of the church. The building have to be maintianed and staff have to be paid. Money also usually changes hands from wealthy churches to poorer churces in the same Diocese,or group of churches in an area. The money also goes to the allieviation of poverty at home and abroad.

So, I guess there are lots of people who profit off the sale of items in churches. Many of whom you will never know or meet.

No one bats an eye for Kosher or Hallal food products. I don't really see an issue with the Vatican inspecting the composition of a food product and giving an approval.

Lent as a current Christian holiday is completely counter to consumerism. It really has no popularity because of it.

To explain it simply it is a time or fasting and introspection. It lasts for 40 days, the length of time that Jesus spent along in the desert before the events of Easter.
During this time you are supposed to remove objects and practices from your life that obscure your relationship with your self, family and god.

The significance of eating fish on Fridays,or the entirety of lent, is to impart conscious though of God in the daily act of eating.The thinking is that most people east meat daily and that eating fish makes a radical change in eating habits.

The holiday does not lend it self to consumerism or marketing in any way. It is a truly unique Holiday and holy season.

I hope this gives people a little more insight to this issue.

Frankly, All I really want is the triple crunch zinger sandwich back. If I pray can the pope get me that?

Businesses should be far more subtle when using the Church to endorse products.

And what will Church's chicken think?

Bad idea, KFC. Lent is not really about marketing. -MEGHANN MARCO

Considering the YouTube clip and all.