Bosnian authorities investigate desecration and fire damage at Medjugorje Virgin Mary shrine
Police said 2 statues were defaced and an outdoor altar was set ablaze as the shrine prepared for a youth festival drawing 50,000 to 60,000 people.
- On Tuesday, authorities in Bosnia investigated the desecration of a Virgin Mary statue and a shrine damaged by fire overnight in Medjugorje, a popular destination for Roman Catholic pilgrims.
- Two years ago, the Vatican gave the green light for Catholics to continue flocking to Medjugorje, offering approval for devotion at one of the most contested sites of Roman Catholic practice.
- Pictures from the site showed the statue of Our Lady had her face and hands painted black, with an inscription in English on the pedestal reading "Devil in a skirt".
- Vandals also displayed a banner on a fence listing the names of seers with a message in Polish asserting: "They are fraudsters, I have proof".
- The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith ruled positive "spiritual fruits" justify pilgrimages, though officials stopped short of declaring the reported apparitions authentic while flagging concerns about message contradictions.
83 Articles
83 Articles
World-famous Christian shrine burnt and branded 'devil in a skirt' in grim act of vandalism
A world-famous Christian shrine in Bosnia has been burnt and daubed with the words "devil in a skirt" in a grim act of vandalism. On Tuesday, police arrested a man in connection with the arson and desecration of the Shrine of Our Lady in Medjugorje, according to Vatican News. Bosnian authorities have yet to disclose the identity of the suspect in custody as they continue to try and establish a motive for the act.The suspect is also being probed …
Virgin Mary statue defaced and set on fire at world-famous Catholic pilgrimage site: ‘Devil in a skirt’
A man has been arrested after the Shrine of Our Lady in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the world's most famous Catholic pilgrimage sites, was vandalized and partially set on fire.
In the well-known pilgrimage site of Medjugorje in Bosnia there is horror among many believers: apparently a man has smeared the statue of the Virgin with black graffiti. Also an external altar of the church was set on fire. The Croatian-influenced pilgrimage site Medjugorje attracts hundreds of thousands of Catholic pilgrims every year. After the attack on the Marian statue there is horror in the place. According to the Polish media, the perpet…
The Tablet
Our Sunday VisitorMedjugorje Shrine Targeted in Overnight Vandalism, Altar Fire
A vandalized statue of Virgin Mary with areas of the statue covered in black spray paint, along with various blasphemous writings against Mary is seen in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, July 28, 2026. (Photo: OSV News/courtesy The Interreligious Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina) by Junno Arocho Esteves (OSV News) – Police are investigating several acts of vandalism and desecration at the famed village of Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, where Ma…
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