St Peter's Square: Balloons replace doves in Vatican peace gesture after last year's seagull and crow attack

Last year, the feel-good practice became a public relations disaster

Balloons, not doves, were released as a gesture of peace in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, a year after an attack by a seagull and a crow on the symbolic birds sparked protests by animal protection groups

For years, children, flanking the Pope at a window of the papal studio overlooking the square, set free a pair of doves on the last Sunday in January.

Last year, the feel-good practice became a public relations disaster. After the children tossed a pair of doves from the window, first a seagull and then a crow swept down and attacked them. Their ultimate fate is unknown.

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AP