Just days before tens of thousands of pilgrims are due to arrive, vandals defaced a renowned Catholic shrine in Bosnia and set fire to a nearby outdoor altar, prompting a police investigation.
Authorities said the attack targeted the Marian shrine of Medjugorje, located about 140km southwest of Sarajevo, a site that gained global attention in the 1980s after reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
Over time, Medjugorje has grown into one of the world’s best-known pilgrimage destinations, drawing more than one million visitors each year.
Photos published by local media showed extensive damage, with black spray paint smeared across the face of the central statue of the Virgin Mary. The pedestal beneath it was also marked with the words “devil in a skirt”.
Separate security camera footage aired by Jabuka TV appeared to show a man igniting the outdoor altar at nearby St James Church.
Police said they opened an investigation after worshippers reported “offensive messages” left at the site along with a fire.
Some of the graffiti, written in Polish and English, seemed aimed at people in Medjugorje who relay messages attributed to the alleged apparitions — figures known locally as “visionaries”.
The vandalism comes shortly before the annual prayer gathering held during the first week of August, an event that typically draws more than 50,000 young people from around the world to Medjugorje.
In September 2024, the Vatican recognised the shrine, a move that affirmed its religious significance while stopping short of pronouncing on the messages that “visionaries” say they receive from the Virgin Mary and share with believers.
That decision further elevated the profile of the small village, which has attracted followers since six young people said they saw the Virgin Mary there in 1981.
The Medjugorje parish office said the planned gathering would proceed as scheduled and that repairs had already begun.
“It is with great sadness that we learned of the act of vandalism targeting our parish’s places of prayer,” the office said.
The parish also urged followers to respond “through prayer, fasting, and forgiveness”.
