Is there a permanent papal indult lifting abstinence on the Friday after Thanksgiving?

 AI Overview:

There is no permanent "Turkey Indult" granting a papal indulgence for eating turkey the Friday after Thanksgiving

. While there were dispensations in the 1950s, they were temporary and specific to certain years, often granted to local bishops to dispense as they saw fit. Furthermore, current Catholic rules in the US generally permit an alternate act of penance instead of abstaining from meat on Fridays outside of Lent. 

• Temporary dispensations: Popes Pius XII and John XXIII granted specific, one-time dispensations in the 1950s that allowed for the consumption of meat on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
• Bishops' authority: These dispensations were often granted to bishops, who could then choose to pass that authority down to their dioceses for that particular year.
• No permanent rule: These were not permanent rules but particular favors, and the confusion surrounding a "Turkey Indult" is due to the yearly recurrence of the topic and the fact that the dispensations were granted for specific, limited times.
• Modern US rules: The need for such a specific indult is now largely obsolete in the United States. Since the 1960s, the U.S. bishops have allowed Catholics to substitute an act of penance of their choice on Fridays outside of Lent.
• Current practice: Therefore, while the "Turkey Indult" is a popular tradition, a permanent papal indulgence for the day doesn't exist. The current rules mean that while meat can be eaten, it's customary to perform another penance, and the original spirit of the "indult" was a specific, temporary favor for a particular year.