Medjugorie Shrine Vandalised and Altar Set on Fire
On the night of 27 to 28 July 2026, a scandalous desecration occurred on Apparition Hill in Medjugorie. Among the offences, the unknown perpetrator vandalised the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a blasphemous inscription, set fire to the outdoor altar, and hung a banner with aggressive messaging to the Medjugorie seers, the latest report shows.
On the night of 27 to 28 July 2026, an unknown perpetrator entered the shrine of Our Lady Queen of Peace on Apparition Hill in Medjugorie, vandalising the statue of the Virgin Mary with profane inscriptions and deliberately setting fire to the outdoor altar. From images, it appears that black paint was used to write the profane inscriptions in English, Polish, and Croation which read "devil in a skirt." The perpetrator also used the paint to black-out the face of the Virgin Mary, and wrote a reference to the scripture passage in Jeremiah 14:12-42, part of which condemns false prophets and visions. Further, a large banner was left naming each of the Medjugorie seers and writing "fraudsters, I have proof."
Along with the vandalism, the perpetrator set fire to the altar of the shrine by pouring what appeared to be flammable oil around the sanctuary before setting it alight. Video footage on social media shows the extensive damage.
The parish office of Medjugorie issued a statement saying that it was "with great sadness that we received the news of the act of vandalism that damaged the prayer areas of our parish." With vigilance, the parish states that will being "immediately...cleaning and repairing the damage so that all area could be once again prepared with dignity for prayer." Further in the statement, the parish encourages all the faithful to respond with "prayers, fasting, and forgiveness," and to pray for those who committed the act of desecration to have a "conversion of heart."
Sources: niedziela, deon.pl, stacja7
Images: Social Media, Social Media 1, Social Media 2