Come on birds, give peace a chance.
Two white doves released by smiling children from a window above St. Peter’s Square were immediately attacked by other birds, turning Sunday services into an aerial dogfight as Pope Francis and thousands of people looked on, the Associated Press reported.
A territorial seagull and a crow dive-bombed the doves, stripping some feathers off one of them and chasing both away on Sunday.
The pope had just addressed a large crowd from the window with a call for peace in the Ukraine, where anti-government protests have turned deadly.
The children stepped up and, with Francis by their side, sent the gentle doves skyward — into the crosshairs of the winged bullies. It wasn’t clear how badly the doves were injured.