A statue of the Virgin Mary at the Catholic shrine of Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina was defaced with black paint and an outdoor altar at the nearby St James Church was set on fire overnight, in an act authorities are investigating as deliberate desecration.
What happened
The vandalism occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, with police receiving the first report around 4:30 a.m. about damage to the statue on Podbrdo (Apparition Hill), followed shortly after by a report of a fire at the exterior altar behind St James Church at about 5 a.m. Security footage appears to show a person dousing the altar with a flammable liquid and igniting it; the fire was quickly extinguished and did not spread to the church building.
Damage and graffiti
The central statue of the Virgin Mary was sprayed with black paint over the face and hands, and offensive graffiti was left on its pedestal, including the phrase “devil in a skirt” in English. Additional vandalism was reported at other symbolic sites in Medjugorje, including the Blue Cross, where similar paint damage and blasphemous inscriptions were found.
Investigation
Bosnian authorities have opened an investigation under the supervision of a regional prosecutor, describing the fire as intentional. According to regional news, police have arrested a 31-year-old Polish National. The man was born in Warsaw, Poland. He was apprehended by police in the nearby village of Cerno and remains in custody.
The incident comes just days before the annual Mladifest youth festival, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of Catholic pilgrims to Medjugorje from 1–6 August.