Medjugorje shrine vandalized: altar set on fire, 'Devil in a skirt' graffiti; Polish suspect arrested

The attack on Medjugorje's shrines

On the night of 27-28 July, the Marian shrine of Medjugorje in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina was hit by a coordinated act of vandalism. Statues of the Virgin Mary on the Hill of Apparitions (Podbrdo) and at the Blue Cross were smeared with black paint and spray-painted with the phrases "Devil in a skirt" in Polish and English, and "Evil". The outdoor altar of the Church of St. James was set on fire after an unidentified man poured flammable liquid onto the area, as captured by security cameras. The flames were quickly extinguished and did not spread to the church itself, but the recently renovated altar's covering was damaged. A banner left on a fence near the statue named six people linked to the 1981 apparitions and carried a message in Polish: "Ivanka, Mirjana, Milka, Vicka, Ivan and Jakov are impostors. I have proof." The list is not the shrine's recognised group of six: Milka Pavlović saw the apparition only on the first day, 24 June 1981, while Marija Pavlović, one of the six, is missing from it.

Arrest of a Polish suspect

Local authorities confirmed that a man was arrested on 28 July near the border with Croatia, suspected of carrying out the attack. The interior ministry of the Herzegovina-Neretva canton stated that the suspect was detained while trying to leave Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although police have not officially released his identity, local media report that he is a Polish man from Krakow. The investigation is ongoing, and police are examining whether he acted alone and what his motives were. The fire damaged the altar's covering, but the church structure remained intact.

Parish response and the Mladifest festival

The parish office of Medjugorje quickly condemned the acts and called on the faithful to respond with prayer, fasting and forgiveness. In a statement, the parish said:

as the Mother of God has taught us in Medjugorje for over 40 years: through prayer, fasting and forgiveness

The sanctuary remains open and its prayer schedule is unchanged. Volunteers began cleaning the defaced statues immediately. The attack occurred just four days before the start of the 37th International Youth Festival (Mladifest), scheduled from 1 to 6 August, which regularly draws more than 50,000 young people from around the world. Pilgrims have already begun arriving, and many gathered at the vandalized sites early Tuesday to pray and show support.

Vatican recognition and the status of the shrine

Medjugorje has attracted over a million pilgrims annually since the first reported apparitions in 1981. In September 2024, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith officially approved public devotion and pilgrimages to the site, while explicitly declining to pronounce on the supernatural character of the reported apparitions. The shrine's central statue, known as the Queen of Peace, is the focal point of devotion and was directly targeted in the attack.