KFC Once Asked The Pope To Bless This Now-Discontinued Fish Sandwich

On Fridays between Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday, also known as the 40-day period of Lent, many Christians, including Catholics, abstain from eating meat from warm-blooded animals; however, they can eat fish. According to McDonald's, its famous Filet-O-Fish sandwiches were created as a way to bring in more customers during Lent, as franchises weren't selling any burgers on Fridays. That same tradition is what led KFC to add a fried fish sandwich to its menu in 2007. However, the famed fried chicken chain went a step further than McDonald's – KFC's then-president Greg Dedrick reportedly asked Pope Benedict XVI to bless its Fish Snacker Sandwich.

This marketing ploy was likely meant to make the KFC fish sandwich more appealing to Catholics so that it would be competitive with McDonald's popular Filet-O-Fish, particularly during Lent. In his letter to the Pope, Dedrick wrote, "This is the first time KFC has ever served fish nationally, and we believe that the new sandwich could make it easier and more affordable for Catholics to observe the tenets of their faith," (via NBC News). A representative of the Vatican confirmed that the letter was received, but there is no evidence that Pope Benedict XVI (or any other subsequent Holy Father) bestowed his blessing upon the sandwich.

This wasn't the first time that KFC's parent company, Yum! Brands, pulled a splashy PR stunt. In 2000, it placed a Pizza Hut logo on a Russian space rocket and in 2001 developed a Pizza Hut pizza that could be baked and consumed on board the International Space Station. In 2006, it erected an 87,500 square foot image of Colonel Sanders in a desert area near Area 51 in Rachel, Nevada — so big that it could be seen from space.

Like the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish and many other popular fast food fish sandwiches, the 99-cent Fish Snacker Sandwich was made from Alaskan pollock. However, it was a smaller and more affordable sandwich marketed as a snack rather than a meal. It was released in test markets in 2006 and reportedly performed well. The sandwich was then added to the official menu the following year; unfortunately, it was eventually discontinued along with the chain's other Snacker sandwiches.

Whether this had anything to do with KFC's Pope-related PR stunt is unclear. Whatever the reason for its cancellation, it's one of many discontinued KFC menu items we'll probably never see again. However, KFC restaurants in Jamaica still offer a fish filet sandwich during Lent, as do many other fast food chains. If you're craving a fish sandwich but want an alternative to McDonald's Filet-O-Fish, check out limited-time offers from Wendy's, Bojangles, Dairy Queen, Whataburger, and Arby's.