VATICAN CITY — Balloons, not doves, were released as a gesture of peace on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, a year after an attack by a gull and a crow on the symbolic birds set off protests by animal protection groups.
For years, children had joined the pope at a window of the papal studio overlooking the square to set free a pair of doves on the last Sunday in January. The Roman Catholic Church traditionally dedicates January to peace themes.
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A version of this article appears in print on January 26, 2015, on page A7 of the New York edition with the headline: The Vatican Switches to Balloons for Peace. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
