The Pope's dove of peace; a ceremonial symbol used to mark the end of prayers, milestone events and to reflect the tranquility of the Christian faith.
All of these were thrown to the wind yesterday when a virtuous feathered friend was attacked by a sinister and (possibly) Satanic seagull.
Pope Bendict XVI was marking the end of Angelus prayers in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
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Ruffled feathers
Two thousand Christian youths were packed into the square for the ceremony and quickly gained an insight into "survival of the fittest".
Fortunately, due to either divine intervention or just some nifty ariel acrobatics, the bird got away.