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04 October 2024

Reluctant peace doves refuse to leave Vatican

A dove flies back and enters into Pope Benedict XVI's appartment after the Pontiff (C) set it free at the end of his Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter's square at the Vatican. Doves of peace released by Pope Benedict XVI during the weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday refused to leave the Vatican and flew straight back in through the open window, an AFP photographer said. (AFP)

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By AFP

Doves of peace released by Pope Benedict XVI during the weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday refused to leave the Vatican and flew straight back in through the open window, an AFP photographer said.

Embarrassed officials only managed to catch and re-release one of the birds.

The pope was accompanied at the window of his studio in St. Peter's square by two children from the Catholic Action of Rome who had celebrated a "Month for Peace" in January.

The amused pair joined the effort to recapture the doves.

During the Angelus, Benedict marked the International Day of Intercession for Peace in the Holy Land, calling for "concrete plans for peace," and wished serenity and prosperity for those about to celebrate the Lunar New Year in the Far East.

The pope made no reference to the ongoing tensions in Egypt.