Thanks. The article title “tricks for Lent” points to the non-serious nature of it. Plus, it uses the phrase “According to legend” several times and doesn’t even mention the particular monestaries, nor the specific monks involved. I think it’s just meant to be a humorous jab at legalism.

Typically, if practices get so bad that they have to be forbidden by an administrative authority, then you would have some written document forbidding the practice. Although that would acknowledge it wasn’t legitimate to begin with, it would at least suggest the histriocity of it.