Medjugorje shrine vandalism suspect arrested in Bosnia

Bosnian police arrested a 31-year-old foreign national suspected of vandalising the Catholic pilgrimage site of Medjugorje and setting fire to a nearby altar days before a major youth prayer gathering.

Police confirmed the arrest on Tuesday. A police spokeswoman said the suspect's nationality would be disclosed after identification procedures were completed. Local media reported that the arrested person was a Warsaw-born Polish national and was held while heading towards the Croatia border.

Local media published images showing black spray paint covering the face of the central statue of the Virgin Mary at Podbrdo hill, also known as Apparition Hill. The words “devil in a skirt” were scrawled across the pedestal.

Security camera footage published by Jabuka TV showed a man setting fire to the outdoor altar of nearby St James Church.

Police said they were informed around 4:30 am that the statue had been damaged and offensive messages had been written on it. They later received a report of a fire at the altar outside St James Church.

Some graffiti, written in Polish and English, appeared to target people who communicate messages from the reputed apparitions, known locally as “visionaries”.

The incident occurred days before the annual prayer gathering held in the first week of August, which draws more than 50,000 young people from around the world to Medjugorje.

The Medjugorje parish office said the planned event would go ahead and repairs were under way. It said it had learned with great sadness of vandalism targeting its places of prayer and called on followers to respond through “prayer, fasting, and forgiveness”.

The Inter-religious Council, a non-governmental organisation promoting dialogue among Bosnia's religions, condemned the incidents as an “attack on peace, mutual respect and the dignity of all people”. Bosnian Prime Minister Borjana Kristo called for a swift investigation and urged “mutual respect, dialogue and understanding” among all communities.

Medjugorje, about 140 kilometres southwest of Sarajevo, became famous after six young people reported seeing the Virgin Mary there in 1981. More than a million people visit Apparition Hill each year. In September 2024, the Vatican recognised the shrine but did not rule on the messages that “visionaries” say they receive from the Virgin Mary.