Which Pope Made Capybara A Fish

Pope Urban VIII, who served as pope from 1623 to 1644, is credited with making the capybara a fish. The story goes that the pope was presented with a capybara, a large rodent native to South America, and declared that it was a fish because it lived in the water. This decree was made in an effort to increase the number of fish available for consumption during Lent, a period of fasting and abstinence from meat in the Catholic Church. The decree was eventually overturned, but the capybara is still sometimes referred to as a “fish” in some parts of South America. The story of Pope Urban VIII’s decree has become a part of popular culture, and it is often cited as an example of the power of the papacy.