White doves released by kids standing next to Pope Francis attacked by seagull, black crow

VATICAN CITY - Two white doves that were released by children standing alongside Pope Francis as a peace gesture have been attacked by other birds.

As tens of thousands of people watched in St. Peter's Square on Sunday,

a seagull and a large black crow swept down on the doves right after they were set free from an open window of the Apostolic Palace.

A black crow stalks his prey, a white dove released by the children standing near Pope Francis.

A dove which was freed by the children is chased by a black crow in St. Peter's Square.

The relentless seagull attacks a white dove in St. Peter's Square. It's unclear how seriously the white doves were injured.

While speaking at the window beforehand, Francis had appealed for peace in Ukraine, where anti-government protesters have died.

Police and demonstrators in Kiev clashed again on Sunday as protests against President Viktor Yanukovich's abrupt turn away from the European Union towards Russia, Ukraine's former Soviet overlord.

'I am close to Ukraine in prayer, in particular to those who have lost their lives in recent days and to their families,' said the Pope.