Vatican releases balloons instead of doves as symbol of peace

Dozens of balloons were released at the Vatican as a sign of peace today - a year after two doves were viciously attacked by other birds at the same ceremony.

The bloody conclusion to the peace service in 2014 appears to have forced the Pope's officials to cancel the tradition, replacing the age-old symbols with a more modern alternative.

Animal welfare groups were outraged by last year's disaster - claiming the Vatican did not do enough to protect the doves used during the ceremony.

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