Vatican opts for balloon peace symbol
Print Edition
Balloons, not doves, were released as a gesture of peace yesterday in St Peter鈥檚 Square, in the Vatican City, a year after an attack by a seagull and a crow on the 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. The Catholic Church traditionally dedicates January to peace themes.
Last year, the feel-good practice became a public relations disaster. After the children with Pope Francis tossed a pair of doves from the window, first a seagull and then a crow swept down and attacked the doves. Those doves鈥 ultimate fate was unknown.
Advocates for animals demanding an end to dove releases swiftly appealed to Francis, the first pontiff to adopt the name of Francis of Assisi, the saint famed for his love for birds and other creatures of the wild.
鈥淗ere鈥檚 the balloons that mean, 鈥榩eace,鈥欌 said Francis when children in the square let go of their balloons.
Gulls nest atop the colonnade of St Peter鈥檚 Square.
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